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HOUSTON, February 20, 2025 — In a thought-provoking discussion as part of Asia Society Texas' signature Bank of America Women's Leadership Series, four distinguished diplomats reflected on their careers and experiences leading foreign policy efforts around the world, including in Houston. Regional Director of the Office of Foreign Missions in Houston Katherine L. Ho, Consul General of France in Houston Valérie Baraban, Australia's Consul General and Trade and Investment Commissioner in Houston Gabrielle Hall, and Director General of the Taipei Economic and Culture Office (TECO) in Houston Yvonne Hsiao were joined in conversation by moderator and KHOU 11 News anchor/reporter Rekha Muddaraj.

The panelists touched on a wide range of topics, including day-to-day responsibilities, educational backgrounds, and their unique career trajectories. Director General Ho shared that she started her career as a lawyer in private practice but was drawn to the unique challenges offered by a career in the State Department. Consul General Hall added that her first experience with diplomacy was an unpaid internship at the Uruguayan Embassy in Canberra.

When discussing highlights from their respective careers, Consul General Baraban recalled her time at the French embassy in Beijing, and described a career-defining experience at NATO in August 2013, following the Assad regme's use of chemical weapons against Syrian civilians. The panelists also addressed gender diversity in the foreign policy arena, with Director General Ho sharing her pride in the progress that women have made in Taiwan and the importance of women recognizing that they are qualified and deserve to be in positions of leadership. The panelists also discussed the impact of mentorship for their careers and personal development, and the necessity to find a balance between work and personal life. Consul General Hall added that she viewed her professional journey as "a playground to explore rather than a ladder to climb."

The program concluded with questions from the audience — whose members included business and community leaders, philanthropists, architects, and students from the University of Houston, Rice University, the University of Houston–Clear Lake, and the University of St. Thomas — on topics related to foreign policy, the relevance of cultural diplomacy, and the importance of strategic resources.

The final event in AST's 10th season of the Women's Leadership Series will take place on Thursday, May 22, featuring NBC Daily News anchor Vicky Nugyen discussing her new memoir Boat Baby, her family's journey from Vietnam to the U.S., and her career path.

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About the Speakers

Valérie Baraban has served as the Consul General of France in Houston since September 2021. She began her career at the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs twenty years ago, with a focus on defense and security, managing arms export control and arms control dossiers in coordination with the European Union, OSCE, and NATO. At NATO headquarters in Brussels, she served as Senior Negotiator to France’s Permanent Representative, overseeing military operations and intelligence governance. Her international experience also includes her role as Deputy Head of Cooperation and Cultural Affairs at the French Embassy in China (2009–2013), where she led one of France’s largest diplomatic networks. Prior to her appointment in Houston, she was based in Paris as a Diplomatic Advisor to the National Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism Coordinator within the Office of the President of the French Republic. An alumna of Lycée Henri IV and the École normale supérieure in Paris, Ms. Baraban is a credentialed professor of philosophy and taught for a decade, including at UC Berkeley in California. 

Gabrielle Hall is Australia’s Consul-General and Trade and Investment Commissioner in Houston, Texas. Her current sectors of focus include energy, health, and space, while her consular remit covers the southern states of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana. Prior to landing in Houston, Gabrielle worked in Austrade’s Investment Division focused on attracting productive foreign direct investment from the Americas region to Australia. She has also previously been A/g Trade Commissioner in Santiago, Chile and completed short-term assignments with Austrade in Mexico (2019) and Colombia (2016). Gabrielle also has deep trade experience having supported a broad range of Australian exporters with their international strategies through her time in Austrade’s Trade Division. Prior to joining Austrade, Gabrielle worked as a locally engaged staff member for the foreign governments of Uruguay and Chile in Australia. Gabrielle has an energetic toddler and speaks fluent Spanish.

Katherine L. Ho is the Regional Director of the Office of Foreign Missions in Houston. She leads a team overseeing over 350 foreign missions and 3,200 foreign mission personnel spread throughout eight states (Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Arkansas). She has over 14 years of experience within the U.S. Department of State and has served in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe in various challenging positions. While serving as Economic Director on the United Kingdom Desk during Brexit, she coordinated with the National Security Council and National Economic Council to launch the U.S.–U.K. free trade agreement negotiations. While serving in Riyadh, she finalized the U.S.–Saudi Open Skies Agreement that opened commercial aviation between the United States and Saudi Arabia. Katherine is the recipient of numerous awards for her outstanding contributions in advancing diplomacy for the United States. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Katherine was a practicing attorney in Houston. A native Texan, she is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and Vietnamese, and has working proficiency in Arabic. She has a Juris Doctor (JD) from UCLA School of Law, Master of Arts (MA) from Johns Hopkins University, and Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Vanderbilt University.

Yvonne Hsiao has served as the Director General of the Taipei Economic and Culture Office (TECO) in Houston since July, 2023. TECO Houston represents the Republic of China (Taiwan) in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Yvonne is a career diplomat with extensive experience serving in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Her previous postings include serving as Deputy Director General for the Department on International Cooperation and Economic Affairs, serving as Deputy Director General for the Department of International Organizations and serving as Chief Secretary for the Institute of Diplomacy and International Affairs. She graduated from the National Taiwan University with a degree in Languages and Literature.

About the Moderator 

Rekha Muddaraj is an Anchor/Reporter at KHOU 11 News in Houston, Texas since 2012, specializing in health/medical reporting. She currently anchors the 4 p.m. weekday news. Prior to her move to Houston, Rekha worked as a reporter and fill-in anchor at KFMB-TV (CBS) in San Diego for five years, where she won an Emmy for her breaking news coverage of the 2007 Southern California wildfires. Rekha also worked as a reporter at KOAM-TV in Pittsburg, KS. She covered news in four states including Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. She holds two degrees from Arizona State University: a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication (from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism) and a B.S. in Political Science.

Asia Society hosts today's leading voices, providing commentary on events in news, society, and culture. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect Asia Society views.

About the Women's Leadership Series

The Women's Leadership Series (WLS) celebrates influential, diverse women making a substantive impact in both the business and culture arenas, locally and globally.

Previous programs:

2024 | Designing the Future
2024 | Building Inclusivity in the Workplace
2024 | Culinary Innovators Building Community
2023 | Women Leading the Evolution of Skincare
2023 | Houston's Leading News Anchors
2023 | Asian American Women in Law
2022 | Philanthropists Leading With Passion
2022 | Huma Abedin on Public Service and Private Legacies
2022 | Cooking at Home, Writing from the Heart with Priya Krishna
2021 | Asian American Leaders Standing Up for Racial Justice
2021 | Women in Space: Breaking Barriers on Earth and Beyond
2021 | Innovation and Investment in Climate Change Solutions
2020 | Building Black and Asian Solidarity: Women Leading Across Race, History, and Culture
2020 | Women Responding to COVID-19
2020 | Women in Journalism: Ann Curry
2019 | Leadership and Success: Conversation with Former PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi
2019 | Women in Entertainment
2019 | Energy Executives on the Importance of STEM Education
2018 | Women in Culinary Arts: Christine Hà, Jenni Tranweaver, and Kiran Verma
2018 | Women in Fashion: Chloe Dao, Becky Hollands, Khanh Nguyen, and Naina Shah
2018 | Technology Trailblazers
2017 | Innovators in Medicine & Science with Keynote Dr. Huda Zoghbi
2017 | Women's Education and Empowerment with Keynote Cherie Blair
2016 | Women in Energy
2016 | Leading from the C-Suite with Keynote Lulu C. Wang
2016 | The Advancement of Women in Public Service with Elaine Chao
2015 | In Conversation: Dr. Anne Chao, Donna Cole, and Y. Ping Sun

The Women's Leadership Series Steering committee is chaired by Theresa Chang. Members include Dr. Anne Chao, Kathy Goossen, Dr. Ellen Gritz, Mandy Kao, Shirley Kwan, Anu Lal, Dr. Jody Lee, Phuong Levan, Niloufar Molavi, Sue Sim, Shazia Sultan, Y. Ping Sun, and Anthea Zhang.

About Asia Society Texas

Asia Society Texas believes in the strength and beauty of diverse perspectives and people. As an educational institution, we advance cultural exchange by celebrating the vibrant diversity of Asia, inspiring empathy, and fostering a better understanding of our interconnected world. Spanning the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, our programming is rooted in the educational and cultural development of our community — trusting in the power of art, dialogue, and ideas to combat bias and build a more inclusive society.

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