Woman of the Year

Houston Alumnae Chi Omega Woman of the Year
Each year, the Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston honors an outstanding member for her noteworthy service to Chi Omega Fraternity, our alumnae association, and/or the greater Houston community.

Tanya Field Mearse
2009 Houston Chi Omega Woman of the Year

Tanya was surprised by her dear friends Barbe Bozeman and Melinda Byrd at the 2009 Eleusinian Banquet by their entertaining and heartfelt introduction. Some excerpts are written below:

Tanya moved to Houston with several friends following her graduation from The University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg and soon became connected with the Chi Omega Alumnae Association of Houston. She was a talented and energetic elementary school teacher for several years, with one notable prodigy from her class selected to sing the Oscar Meyer Weiner song in a nationwide talent search!

Tanya’s community involvement spans multiple organizations including Zoo Friends, Baylor University Women’s Association of Houston and The Yellowstone Academy. She has a keen interest in educational opportunities for young people and she has led numerous fundraising endeavors for scholarship programs.
She and her husband Bill are devoted and highly-engaged members of Second Baptist Church where she has led fourth-grade bible study. And she recently assisted with the summer housing needs of students visiting the states from China.

Tanya’s Chi Omega leadership roles are significant, and our alumnae association has benefitted from her vision and generosity. She has held multiple committee and leadership posts including secretary, recruitment board member, social chairman and 2009-2010 treasurer. She gifted us with her vision of how Chi Omega Kaleidoscope could evolve into a luncheon event. Who can forget our mutual excitement and pride when the former First Lady Barbara Bush was introduced as our February 2004 Kaleidoscope guest of honor? A new tradition of inviting leading authors to headline Kaleidoscope was born and this convention continues today.

Many Chi Omegas have been blessed with a special relationship with Tanya; generosity and modesty are hallmarks of her personality. She never misses an occasion to remember those in need – always quietly offering support, compassion and a helping hand.

Tanya maintains an active relationship with her initiating chapter Epsilon Delta. A most telling event occurred when our honoree recently celebrated a special birthday by requesting that friends contribute to Epsilon Delta’s building fund instead of giving gifts to her! She attended the grand opening of the Epsilon Delta’s new house and was honored for her generous contributions that helped build this collegiate home for her sisters. In fact, the foyer of the chapter house is named in her honor.

Congratulations to Tanya for this much-deserved honor!