Rocio C. Witte, community development manager for BakerRipley East Aldine and Gulfton/Sharpstown, is the newest member of the East Aldine Management District board of directors.
Harris County Commissioners Court made her appointment official today (Oct. 10) as requested by Commissioners Adrian Garcia.
Witte, a native of El Paso, received the Community Excellence Award from the management district in 2022. She has worked for the BakerRipley non-profit network for five years, and in the East Aldine area for the last four years, where she has managed external relations, the campus advisory committee and campus tours.
Witte, 31, and her husband, Mark, have been married for five years and moved to the Houston area in 2016.
She has an extensive background in the sports/outdoors retail industry and earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Texas at El Paso.
Because of her passion for community building, she began volunteering for BakerRipley after Houston was ravaged by Hurricane Harvey in 2017. In 2021, she received the BakerRipley’s Inclusive Heroic Award.
“It was such an honor to be recognized for all the work we do,” Witte said.
Because of her experience, Witte said, she hopes that her service on the board will “build an even stronger ties and better communication” between the District and BakerRipley’s clients.
“There are so many times that we get ‘thank-you’s’ for this or that event, and we have to point out that it was actually hosted by the District,” Witte said.
At the same time, her close interactions with community members will allow her “to bring community concerns and direct feedback” to the board,” Witte said.
She enjoys training and helping others to reach their goals. She is certified in Adult Mental Health First Aid and is a Harris County volunteer deputy voter registrar. She also is a part of the BakerRipley Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee and the East Aldine Stakeholder Committee.
Away from work, Witte likes to spend time with her family and explore farmer’s markets and other events that feature new foods and cultures.
Civic engagement is one of the most important ways to bring about change in a community, she said.
— By Anne Marie Kilday
