Chair:  Ilene Kramer, Development Outreach
Chair: Melanie Lowther, ACCESS
Crucial Issues/WAC:  Reva Edison

The Development Commission of AJC Houston is very active throughout the year with its fundraising efforts through their annual Corporate Dinner /Lunch and their Max Nathan Dinner.

On April 2, 2009, AJC Houston held a dinner at the Hyatt Regency Hotel to honor Fred Zeidman with its National Institute of Human Relations Award.  Co-Chairs for this event were Ambassador Arthur Schechter, Ambassador Ned L. Siegel and Roger Sofer.

This year, the Helene Susman Woman of Prominence Award was presented to Dr. Faith Marshall at the AJC Houston 63rd Annual Meeting held at Congregation Beth Israel on May 21, 2009.   Co-Chairs for this event were Sandra Block and Dr. Julia Mazow.

On December 10, 2009, AJC Housotn will hold its Max H. Nathan Awards Dinner honoring Joe Williams at the Omni Houston Hotel.  The Dinner Chair for this event is Irving Pozmantier.  Dinner Co-Chairs are: Barbara and Mark Brookner, Joy and Joe Kaplan, Eve and Bobby Lapin, Kay and Fred Zeidman.

Over twenty-five people gathered for the first of AJC Houston's Private Parlor Discussion and Dessert Receptions which was held at the home of Joy and Benjamin Warren on Thursday evening, November 19th.  The discussion featured Iranian journalist and political activist Mohsen Sazegara.

2009 is the fourth year of AJC Houston's successful Crucial Issues Series chaired by Reva Edison.  The chapter collaborated on the series this year with World Affairs Council Houston. Starting in December 2008 the Series Guest Speakers included: Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch a human rights NGO in Geneva, Switzerland, discussing Inside the UN's Human Rights Council;  Martin S. Indyk, Senior Fellow and Director of the Saban Center for Middle Ease Policy Studies program at The Brookings Institution and a former United States Ambassador to Israel, discussing Security and the Middle East; Douglas Farah, a national security and terror finance consultant and a frequent guest lecturer to the U.S. military and intelligence community, discussing Latin American and Infiltration of Terrorist Organizations.