North Harris County American Association of University Women will hold its annual Outstanding Women Awards Luncheon on Saturday February 24, 2024 at Shirley Acres 217 Woerner Rd. Houston beginning at 10:30. We are honoring two women from Tomball this year for their outstanding service in education and community service. Dr. Martha Salazar-Zamora will be honored for her outstanding service in education as Tomball ISD superintendent and Susan Schaper will be honored for her outstanding service in the community with her work for TEAM in Tomball. We will also be awarding five grants this year to area schools and non-profits totaling $26,300. This year NHC AAUW will be celebrating their 50-year anniversary as a branch. For more information on this event please contact Genie Kline (geniekline@aol.com).
Outstanding Community Service Honoree
Susan Schaeper
Susan Schaeper retired in 2016 after serving 31 years in education for Cypress-Fairbanks, Tomball, and Klein school districts. She served as an elementary teacher, a Gifted and Talented Specialist, and a district curriculum specialist for K-12 Social Studies in Tomball ISD. In Klein, she served as the district Social Studies and World Language Instructional Officer.
Since retiring, she continues to volunteer in the Tomball and Klein communities using her career skills and experience. In 2017, she started volunteering at Tomball Emergency Assistance Ministry (TEAM) as a caseworker to assist clients with utility bills or rent payments. She plays a volunteer leadership role at TEAM by recruiting, training, and managing other caseworkers. She was instrumental in the development of TEAM’s proprietary software system (GRACE) to record client visits and services. She volunteers weekly to screen and process client requests.
Ms. Schaeper continues 20 years of service to local students through her volunteer work with the North Harris Destination Imagination program as an appraiser, challenge master, and Regional Director.
She also volunteers as a docent for Klein ISD at the Wunderlich Interactive History Farm. She role-plays a woman living in the Klein community during the Great Depression for school field trips and community events.
Ms. Schaeper’s civic volunteer work includes serving in the last three election cycles as an election clerk or poll watcher.
Ms. Schaeper truly makes a difference through her community service.
Education Honoree
Dr. Martha Salazar-Zamora
Dr. Martha Salazar-Zamora has served as an educator in Texas for over 36 years and as the Superintendent of Schools in Tomball ISD since 2017. She is a trailblazer and is the first female Superintendent of TISD and the first Hispanic Superintendent of Tomball ISD. She has been selected as the 2023 Texas Superintendent of the year. Under Dr. Salazar-Zamora’s leadership, Tomball ISD continues to set the bar high with innovative programs and initiatives that are student-centered and intentional. Since 2017, she has led the implementation of Tomball Star Academy, the District’s first P-TECH focused on healthcare, a Pre-K center for young learners, the state-of-the-art Tomball ISD Stadium and Event Center, along with the opening of several campuses and CTE programs which are in place to accommodate the fast growth and high-demand for young talent happening in the Tomball area.
Dr. Salazar-Zamora without a doubt has put Tomball ISD on the map as a pillar of excellence through leadership and a continuous drive for high achievement and innovation. Leading nearly 23,000 students and over 3.100 employees district-wide, Dr. Salazar-Zamora was named one of Houston’s top 30 Influential Women this year and remains committed to the growth of public education and the impact it plays in our local community by serving her time on numerous boards.
She also enjoys spending quality time with her husband Emillo, their two daughters, Milan and Matisse, and granddaughters Arya Rose and Aurella Rose.