Meet The Woman Who Turned Personal Trial Into Purpose
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(OPINION) In one of those strange turns of life, Christine Powell found herself navigating a world that she had once only observed as a young professional right out of college.
Early in her career, she watched another woman’s story unravel — a life that seemed to have it all suddenly shattered without warning. A thriving career, a loving marriage, young children — a picture-perfect life by all accounts — gone.
This woman’s path — her perfectly planned out path — seemed to shift into an obstacle course. One challenge followed another, each seeming to end in defeat. Starting over felt impossible as the path ahead darkened.
Years later, Powell found herself walking that same road, her own story echoing the one she had once observed. Divorce upended the life she had carefully planned out, leaving her to start over while raising two young boys just entering elementary school. What once felt secure now felt uncertain.
The path ahead, once clearly defined, grew dim and unpredictable. The only difference between her story and the woman’s story from years past: her determination. Powell refused to surrender, looking survival in the eye with the resolve that her story would end differently. She decided to fight for more than mere endurance — she chose to reset and rebuild her life one moment at a time.
Stepping into advocacy
As the CEO of The Women’s Resource of Greater Houston, Powell relates to the clients who walk through her doors each day. These women have traveled roads marked by job loss, financial instability, and unexpected detours, like broken homes. Many once dreamed of doing more with their lives, only to see those dreams shattered. Now they stand at their own crossroads, searching for stability, direction, and hope.
Powell understands the challenges each woman faces. She has walked that path herself. That lived experience shapes the way she leads—with warmth, sincerity, empathy, and an unashamed determination to see every woman rebound and succeed.
As she often reminds others: “There’re usually one or two life decisions that separate you from the person you see on the street.”
She firmly believes that anyone can start afresh with the right support, resources, and tools. Because of that conviction — and under her leadership — The Women’s Resource of Greater Houston stands alongside thousands of women in the Greater Houston area who seek financial stability, career coaching, and a renewed sense of possibility.
As a member of the board of directors of The Women’s Resource of Greater Houston, I’ve had the opportunity to get to know Powell firsthand and experience the great work of her team.
The road that led her here
Powell’s commitment to helping women — and caring for people more broadly — traces back to watching her mother serve as a nurse. As she observed her mother extend compassion to patients in physical pain or facing difficult diagnoses, Powell sensed a calling to care for others in some capacity — to help them recognize their full potential.
What started out as a career in wellness at the Downtown Houston YMCA eventually led her into the non-profit sector with the Houston Area Women’s Center. In both roles, she worked closely with clients who needed support navigating life’s difficulties. Those experiences only strengthened her dedication to the underserved.
Then her own world shifted in a way that deepened her understanding. Her divorce had already placed her in the same position as the clients she now served—women rebuilding after life’s unexpected disruptions.
She no longer observed their struggles from a distance — she now stood among them. Strangely, Powell never considered seeking support from the very organizations where she worked — largely because survival mode has a way of overlooking the obvious.
After a self-taught financial bootcamp and ensuring her boys enjoyed a stable home life, Powell boldly pursued a leadership position in the non-profit sector that would allow her to leverage her recent experience.
This led her to interview for the top role at The Women’s Resource. She recognized the challenge of reshaping the organization for long-term success, but that further piqued her interest. She felt drawn to the organization’s mission — helping women and girls make choices that foster independence, productivity, and financial stability.
Grace behind the scenes
Over the past decade, as the fourth CEO of The Women’s Resource, Powell has launched new programs and strategic initiatives that distinguish the organization among the more than 15,000 nonprofits operating in the Greater Houston area.
Among the many programs she has introduced are financial education courses, personalized financial and career coaching, and the RISE! Program for high school girls — a transformative, four-year initiative that blends financial literacy with career and college readiness, equipping the next generation with the tools to build stable and independent futures.
As a point of reference, more than 1.1 million women have joined the Texas workforce since 2014 — a 31% increase — bringing women to approximately 46% of the state’s workforce, a figure expected to continue growing.
Yet even amid this economic expansion, many women in the Greater Houston area continue to struggle with financial stability, contributing to a growing share of households classified as ALICE — Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed — highlighting increasing financial strain across the region. Thus, the need for organizations like The Women’s Resource remains critical, as they play a vital role in helping women overcome systemic barriers and ongoing financial challenges.
Yet the organization’s most distinctive quality exists beyond what any brochure or mission statement can convey. Though quietly present, a current of Christian values runs beneath the surface. That influence emerges in the way clients receive care and in the way staff members treat one another — with dignity, patience, and mutual respect. At times, staff even gather to pray for colleagues in a time of need.
The strongest evidence, however, rests in Powell’s own story. When at her lowest point, she searched for the right church for her family, ensuring she and her boys found community and stability when they needed it most.
She knew — even if she never voiced it — that her strength had to come from a source greater than herself. Surely God had a plan for her and her sons. She chose to trust that her story would unfold according to a design only he could author. God’s grace, coupled with her faith, steadied her — even in moments when she lacked full awareness of such grace.
Editor’s note: The writer is a member of the board of directors of the Women’s Resource of Greater Houston.
Kathy Belton is currently a student at Dallas Theological Seminary. She has over three decades of experience in the oil and gas industry for ExxonMobil. She is also a member of the board of directors of the Women’s Resource of Greater Houston.