Speakers
Carlecia D. Wright is the Director for the City of Houston’s Office of Business Opportunity. In this Mayoral appointed role, she leads the City’s Supplier Diversity, Entrepreneurial, and Workforce Development Programs.
Under Carlecia’s leadership, various programs that promote equity and opportunity have been launched -including a regional job platform called TweetMyJobs Houston, along with LiftOff Houston, a Business Plan Competition that awards $30,000 annually, and Mayor Sylvester Turner’s Turnaround Houston Initiative that provides workforce resources to Houstonians. Her leadership of the City’s Supplier Diversity Program has led to more than 25,000 contracts totaling over $2 billion dollars being awarded to diverse businesses. Houston’s Supplier Diversity Program has become a model for cities around the country.
Carlecia has received several awards for her achievements, including being named one of Houston Chronicle’s 2016 Women to Watch in Business and a 40 Under 40 Professional by the Houston Business Journal. She has a Bachelor’s Degree from Columbia College of Chicago and a Master’s Degree from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service. She is a graduate of the Center for Houston’s Future, Leadership Houston, and an American Leadership Forum Senior Fellow.
A native of Illinois, Carlecia is the wife of Philip Wright, Jr. and mother of Kaomi.