Lisa Frankel

Co-Founder and Designer at Phillips House

Lisa Phillips Frankel, Co-Founder at Phillips House, was born in Boston, Massachusetts. From a young age, Lisa exhibited a unique blend of creativity and technical skill. Her journey into jewelry design took an unconventional path, as she learned the craft in her husband Dr. Robert Frankel’s dental lab. A prosthodontist by profession, Dr. Frankel creates intricate dental crowns and veneers, providing Lisa with a distinctive environment to develop her jewelry-making skills.

After moving to Miami Beach, Lisa further honed her craft by apprenticing with traditional bench jewelers. She then partnered with her daughter, Danielle, to open their own design studio, focusing specifically on bespoke high-end pieces tailored for the Miami Beach clientele. Danielle and Lisa released their collection to the public under the name Phillips House, and since then, their creations have continued to capture the imagination of jewelry enthusiasts everywhere.

Danielle Nemiroff

Co-Founder and Designer at Phillips House

Danielle Nemiroff grew up in Miami Beach, where she developed a strong foundation in creative and technical skills. With a background as a ballerina, Danielle learned the importance of discipline from a young age. Encouraged by her mother, she pursued accounting at Boston University but always felt a pull towards a more creative outlet. During high school, Danielle collaborated with her mother, Lisa Philips Frankel, on designing capsule jewelry collections, which sparked her passion for the craft.

After graduating from college, Danielle realized that a career in accounting wasn’t for her. In 2005, she joined her mother in the jewelry business, focusing on bespoke creations for discerning clients. By 2007, they had opened their own studio in Miami Beach, and in 2013, they successfully launched the Phillips House collection together. Danielle is also a devoted mother of three children, balancing her family life with her creative pursuits in the jewelry industry.

Paula Harris

Astros Foundation Executive Director

Paula Harris has served as the Executive Director of the Astros Foundation and Senior Vice President of Community Affairs since October 2021. She has a 33-year career in the oil and gas industry, primarily with Schlumberger, where she held various leadership roles before retiring as Director of Global Stewardship. Harris is also a prominent community advocate, focusing on advancing STEM education, especially for women and underrepresented minorities. She has extensive board involvement in organizations like Chart Industries, the Houston Children’s Museum, and the Energized for Excellence Charter School. Harris is also a founding board member of the Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy, an all-girls engineering school. Her achievements have earned her numerous awards, including the United Nations Global Citizenship Award. In addition to her professional roles, she runs an energy consulting firm and a publishing company, where she authored and distributed over 150,000 copies of her book, When I Grow Up I Want to Be an Engineer.

Shelby Hodge

Society and Lifestyle Editor at PaperCity (Moderator)

From writing about fabulous destinations as Travel Editor of the Houston Post, Shelby moved on to writing about fabulous people and fabulous parties as society editor of the Houston Chronicle. After 18 years in newsprint, she jumped ship to join the fledgling CultureMap website as a founding editor. The lure of the glamour of PaperCity drew her away to a more refined media world where she has covered the city’s social scene since 2016.

Julie Kent

Artistic Director of Houston Ballet

Julie Kent became Artistic Director of Houston Ballet in July 2023, sharing leadership with Stanton Welch AM. She previously had a distinguished 30-year career with American Ballet Theatre (ABT), where she was the longest-serving ballerina, performing an extensive range of classical and contemporary roles from 1985-2015. Kent also danced as an international guest artist with prestigious ballet companies worldwide. She has won numerous accolades, including the Prix de Lausanne (1986), Erik Bruhn Prize (1993), and the Prix Benois de la Danse (2000), becoming the first American to receive it.

After retiring from performing, Kent led ABT’s Summer Intensive program and was Artistic Director of The Washington Ballet from 2016-2023, where she expanded the repertoire and commissioned over 26 world premieres. She has received honorary doctorates and lifetime achievement awards in recognition of her contributions to dance. Kent is married to Victor Barbee, a former ABT Associate Artistic Director, and they have two children.

June Rodil

CEO and Partner of Goodnight Hospitality

June, born in the Philippines and raised in Texas, is the CEO and Partner of Houston-based Goodnight Hospitality, founded in 2019. The group includes Montrose Cheese & Wine, Rosie Cannonball (a 2020 James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Wine Program), and MARCH, which earned accolades like Esquire’s Best New Restaurants, No. 2 Restaurant in America by Robb Report in 2022, and a 2022 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef Texas. In 2023, Goodnight Hospitality opened The Marigold Club, its fourth highly anticipated venture.

Throughout her career, June has opened over 20 hospitality concepts, working with James Beard Award winners and nominees. She remains a partner in June’s All Day, named one of Food & Wine’s Restaurants of the Year in 2017. Her personal accolades include Wine Enthusiast’s Sommelier of the Year (2018), Food & Wine Sommelier of the Year (2014), and earning the Master Sommelier credential—one of only 25 women in the Americas to do so. She also launched her own sparkling wine, June’s Brut Rosé, in 2017.

In addition to her passion for hospitality, June is dedicated to championing diversity and inclusion. She enjoys crossword puzzles with her husband, loves her dog, appreciates art, and values laughter with friends.