NEW YORK — Houston knows how to make an entrance, but on August 11, 2026, the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce (GHWCC) made an exit worth celebrating — closing the trading day at the New York Stock Exchange with President, CEO and Founder Suzan Deison ringing the iconic Closing Bell®. The NYSE officially welcomed GHWCC executives and guests to recognize companies that champion the leadership, advancement and success of women and girls.

For GHWCC, the Wall Street spotlight represented far more than ceremonial pomp, flashing screens and one famous bell. It marked a national-stage celebration of 19 years of opening doors for women through leadership, education, advocacy, mentoring and business development — a Houston-grown mission now reaching well beyond the Bayou City.

“To see GHWCC represented at the New York Stock Exchange alongside so many outstanding companies that champion women was an extraordinary moment,” Deison said in the Chamber’s post-event announcement. She described the bell ringing as both a celebration of the organization’s journey and “a powerful statement about where we are going.”

And where GHWCC is going is considerably bigger.

 

Against the backdrop of the NYSE, the organization announced the launch of the Texas Women’s Chamber of Commerce, designed to expand its network and mission statewide. Building on GHWCC’s nearly two decades of relationships and programming, the new organization is expected to create broader connections among women executives, entrepreneurs, corporations, small businesses, educators, emerging professionals and community leaders across Texas.

Now that is how you ring a bell.

Joining Deison on the podium was an impressive cross-section of corporate leadership, including representatives from Stewart Title, The Woman’s Hospital of Texas, SLB, bp, NRG Energy, Verizon, Fifth Third Bank, Murphy Oil Corporation, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Regions Bank. GHWCC Deputy President and CEO Martha Castex-Tatum also participated in the historic celebration.

Equally meaningful was the presence of young students among the invited guests. Their participation underscored a central piece of GHWCC’slegacy: helping the next generation of women not merely imagine themselves in influential rooms, but actually enter those rooms, build relationships and prepare to lead them.

 

For Houston, the moment was another reminder that the city’s influence stretches from energy and medicine to entrepreneurship, finance and corporate leadership. Wall Street may be nearly 1,600 miles from Houston, but for one memorable afternoon, Houston’s unmistakable business swagger was ringing loud and clear in Lower Manhattan.

The Closing Bell ended a trading session. For GHWCC, however, it sounded much more like an opening bell for what comes next.

More information on GHWCC, go to: https://ghwcc.org/

WATCH THE GHWCC NYSE BELL-RINGING VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/live/vOaNtvzWI6A