Please read through the nominations below and click on a button to vote one you are ready. You are encouraged, but not required to vote in all categories.
Representative Jon Rosenthal (He/Him/His) has been in Texas since 1979. Jon is happily married to his wife Aminta, and they share 2 adult children. Rep. Rosenthal earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) from The University of Texas at Austin in 1991, and worked for over 25 years in and around the oil & gas industry. Having been bullied throughout his school years, Jon learned the only way to defeat a bully is to Stand Up and Fight Back! As an early teen he became committed to combat bigotry and discrimination in all forms. Jon is always guided by his personal values of integrity, kindness, truth, compassion, and service to others. Jon was never publicly politically active before 2017, but he viewed the results of the 2016 election as dangerous and damaging to our society. Early in 2017, Jon started an Indivisible Group in Northwest Harris County that became focused on replacing the Representative for Texas Congressional District 7, and flipping the District from Red to Blue for the first time in 50 years. The group soon grew to be over 350 members strong. Of course, CD7 is now represented by Lizzie Fletcher, and Indivisible CD7 contributed to that effort! During 2017, as Jon learned more about Texas politics, he became committed to the fight for equity justice and inclusive representation at the State level. He left industry at the end of 2017 to run for office as a bold progressive. During 2018, Representative Rosenthal ran a grass-roots and volunteer driven campaign and was first elected in to represent Texas House District 135 in the 86th Texas Legislature, defeating a 24-year incumbent. Since being elected, Jon has consistently been a strong and unapologetic advocate, ally, and accomplice for LGBTQiA+ communities – forwarding good bills and fighting against the constant egregious efforts to marginalize and demonize LGTBQiA+ communities. Named Freshman of the Year by the Legislative Study Group Caucus in the 86th Legislature, Rep. Rosenthal is also a strong advocate and champion for public education, for access to healthcare, for equity justice and for comprehensive criminal justice reform.
Dessert Gallery owner Sara Brook starts every day by walking through her bakery and checking in at each station. From the mixers and bakers to the decorators and fulfillment packagers, Sara greets everyone personally and looks at every sweet treat in development. Sara’s connection with her staff and her customers, and her expectation of excellence is the reason Dessert Gallery Bakery & Café has been a staple in the Houston community since 1995.
From Lunar New Year and Black History Month to Ramadan… Easter and Passover to Pride… Jewish High Holy Days to Dia de los Muertos and Christmas… customers find it particularly meaningful to “see themselves” in the current cookie display.
In addition to being known for delicious, handcrafted desserts, DG is also known for being a role model in the community. They showed up with food in underserved neighborhoods after Hurricane Harvey, and they were among the first to answer the call to feed first responders during the pandemic. They always say YES when schools and other important causes come looking for support.
Through their gorgeous hand-decorated cookies, Dessert Gallery recognizes and welcomes people of every faith and ethnicity as is evident in the melting pot of customers that can be found sharing sweets on any given Saturday night. Brook is proud of the way her desserts bring people together and make them feel welcome and at home.
Brook “gives at the office,” but she also never hesitates to roll up her sleeves when called upon. In the late 1980’s, she was on the steering committee of Chesed V’Emet – Love & Truth – at the Jewish Community Center of Houston. The multi-week event marked the first time a collection of Jewish AIDS Quilt panels were on display in the area. The team developed several weeks’ worth of programming for all ages to witness and consider the fact that the AIDS devastation we thought was about “other people” in “other places” had in fact taken the lives of many young Jewish men from our own neighborhoods and synagogues. Brook also volunteered at the former AIDS Foundation Houston, Stone Soup Food Pantry, and DIFFA’s original Houston gala featuring celebrity- designed blue jean jackets to raise awareness and money for HIV/AIDS.
In addition to a period of activism in the AIDS community, Brook spent years driving to Cleveland, Texas to volunteer with the Prison Entrepreneurship Program which is housed in the Bell Unit of the Texas Prison System. She has also volunteered regularly over the years at her temple undertaking projects such as the 50th Anniversary Historical Retrospective, co-chairing a luncheon for 800 guests featuring Dr. Ruth Westheimer, and the Temple’s 75th Anniversary journal.
Over the years, Brook has been recognized for her efforts to “bake” the world a better place, one cookie at a time…
Sara Brook is a 5th generation Houstonian. She is the proud mother/mother-in-law of Jen and T, and can’t wait to hold her new grandbaby in her arms this September!
