Staff

Alan Steinberg, Ph.D. is a passionate civic leader with the desire to improve the Houston community through education, advocacy, and civic action by connecting people who can turn challenges into opportunities. Alan serves as the President/CEO of the West Houston Association working with industry leaders who collaborate, educate and advocate to improve the quality of life, experience, and opportunity for 2,000,000+ people who live, work and play across the 1,000 sq mile Greater West Houston region. 

Before coming to the West Houston Association, Alan served as Associate Director of Houston Programs and Partnerships within Rice University’s Center for Civic Leadership leading the Houston Action Research Teams, which are groups of undergraduate students working with local community partners to address issues facing the city and it’s residents. Prior to Rice, Alan served as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Political Science at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX, teaching courses on U.S. & Texas government, public policy, statistics and research design, while conducting research on social media and political engagement.

Most likely found wearing boots and a cowboy hat, Alan is very engaged with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, currently serving on multiple committees, including as Division Vice Chairman of the Transportation Committee and Vice Chairman of the Communications Special Services Committee. Additionally, Alan serves as a Mayoral appointee to the City of Houston’s Clean City Commission, as well as on the board of directors of the Memorial Management District, Harris County MUD 500, Leadership Houston, Plant It Forward Farms, Keep Houston Beautiful, and on the NEXTGen Leadership Committee for the Holocaust Museum Houston. Alan also volunteers with the American Red Cross Texas Gulf Coast Region, the HAY Center for foster youth, the Alief Super Neighborhood Council, and serves on the Advisory Council for the University of Houston – Katy, UH Victoria’s Business School, and Volunteer Houston.

A strong believer in education and lifelong learning, Alan holds a Ph.D and a M.A. in Political Science from the University of Houston, an EMBA from the Quantic School of Business and Technology, a M.S. in Defense and Strategic Studies from Missouri State University, a Graduate Certificate in International Affairs from the Bush School of Public Service, and a B.S. in Psychology from Texas A&M University. Alan is an alumni of Leadership Houston (Class 38), Leadership Katy (Class 1), Texas A&M Forest Service Leadership Institute (Class 2), and is a current participant of the American Leadership Forum (Class 56). He is always ready to work with others to make Houston an increasingly better place to live, work, and play.

Alexandra Oravetz is a communications specialist for the West Houston Association with a multi-faceted background in the worlds of design, the humanities, social media, and the legal system. She coordinates with Ryann to organize WHA’s communications, marketing, and events. 

Moving from her birthplace in Dallas when she was a baby, Alexandra was raised in Southeast Asia and returned to the U.S. in 2017. Because of her multicultural upbringing, she has developed skills such as adaptability, critical thinking, and the ability to see a situation from multiple sides. Holding a BA in Philosophy from the University of Houston Downtown, she is also an adept problem-solver and logician. 

Her most recent previous work involves litigation on behalf of those affected by the 2021 Texas Winter Storm Uri, as well as the Woolsey and Thomas California Wildfires. Additionally, she has past volunteer work with various organizations in Singapore, Indonesia, and Houston that span everything from food drives to animal rights advocacy. She aims to translate her experience coordinating with clients on their cases and collaborating with members of an advocacy group into her communication work at WHA. With this, she hopes to maximize the impact that the WHA has on improving the Greater West Houston area. Alexandra is deeply curious and a lifelong student and is excited to learn from and collaborate with fellow members and leaders who make WHA’s work possible. 

Vivian Le is a current undergraduate student attending Rice University, studying Computational and Applied Mathematics along with Statistics and a minor in Data Science. She aspires to be a data analyst in the health-tech field and enjoys hand building models in her free time. Vivian is working with the Regional Mobility Committee.

The WHA Fellows program provides college and graduate students a unique opportunity to learn about a set of challenges facing the Greater West Houston region and engage with those challenges head on. Fellows serve a year or more embedded with a WHA committee, attending meetings and participating in discussions in the same way our industry leaders do. For more information please contact Alan Steinberg, alan@westhouston.org. 

Kathy Dowling, SHRM-SCP, is the owner of Dove Business Solutions, a small business consulting and record keeping firm. Kathy founded Dove Business Solutions in 2008 after a 25 year career with a Fortune 100 company where she held positions in retail management, accounting, risk management, and human resources. With business integrity as a foundation, Kathy has consulted with non-profits, churches, printing companies, marketing and advertising agencies, staffing firms, and other small businesses, implementing the best practices and procedures within the organizations and setting them up for future growth and success. Kathy serves as WHA’s bookkeeper and accounting specialist.