Andrea Baldwin, lecturer in communication, was recently named by Houstonia Magazine one of the “Ten Houston Women Making It Happen.” From her activism to public speaking and involvement around the UHCL campus, Baldwin is truly making her voice heard in Houston.
“These Houstonians show us what it means to be a woman in Houston in this day and age,” Houstonia Magazine states in the article.
Catherine Matusow, editor-in-chief for Houstonia Magazine, said that the ten women were picked in a staff meeting where everyone was asked who they thought were the most extraordinary women in Houston and why.
“We wanted a mix of in every sense of the word—women in the literary/culture/business/medical/political/legal fields, whose diversity reflected the city,” Matusow said. “One of the reasons Baldwin was selected was that the play she’d written, ‘Lone Star Feminist’, resonated with many themes already in the package. We expected she would be an excellent interview, and we were right.”
Baldwin said her recent acknowledgment in Houstonia Magazine came as a surprise because she was told she was being recognized for her projects.
“When you’re just working you don’t think of them as notable or significant – you just think of them as work that you love and you care about,” Baldwin said.
In addition to Baldwin, the other Top Women in Houston include: Kim Ogg, Harris County district attorney; Heather Brown, orthodontist; Rose Mary Salum, founder of Literal Magazine; Jessica Farrar, state representative, Texas district 148; Stephanie Wittels Wachs, actor, director, author; Denise Hamilton, founder of WatchHerWork; Jenny Chang, oncologist, Houston Methodist Cancer Center Director; Jennifer Mathieu, teacher and novelist; and Mana Yegani, immigration attorney.
Baldwin said that to see her name among this very powerful list of women was both surprising and humbling.
“Reading some of the things that I said in comparison to some of these incredible women, it just seems like we have a unanimous feeling of just like; we love what we do, we believe in what we do and that is all really important to us,” Baldwin said. “I love where I’m from, and I stand by what I said in the article; ‘I love this city, I love this state and I believe that part of preserving that love is taking care of the people in it.’”
Christos Patelis, assistant director for “Rememberall”, a student-led production at UHCL directed by Baldwin, has traveled with her to performance festivals and was a former student in her public speaking course. He said that Baldwin is the reason he decided to go to graduate school for communication studies after changing his major from business to marketing. He credits Baldwin with becoming a daily inspiration for him.
“Dr. Baldwin continues to be a powerhouse for the University of Houston Clear-Lake,” Patelis said.
Another one of Baldwin’s former students, Andy Robb, art and design major, has known her for three years and took a few of her courses.
“I’ve gone to two Petit Jean Festivals, one Patti Pace and multiple trips to UNT [University of North Texas] for performances by ourselves and other schools,” Robb said. “I’d gladly follow Dr. Baldwin anywhere just to be a part of the history she’s making. Doing so, until this point, has taught me a lot about story narration, themes and performance theory that I initially never knew existed.”
Houstonia Magazine singled out Baldwin’s recent solo performance, “Lone Star Feminist,” but they also recognized her activism as a woman in the Houston area. Baldwin’s current projects include involvement with Black Lives Matter Houston, directing the student-written show “Rememberall,” attending town halls in the Montrose area, marching for causes and occasionally speaking at high schools. She also makes an effort to donate to national or local causes every month to show her support around the Houston community.
“I hope that this inspires Houstonians to first see how beautiful and diverse this city is – there is this incredible wide range of women doing incredible things in different aspects,” Baldwin said. “But most importantly I hope that they see that they can find greatness within themselves in everything they do.”