LGBTQ+ Victory Fund and LGBTQ+ Victory Institute President & CEO Annise Parker is the first former elected official to lead the organizations, having served six years as a Houston City Council member, six years as city controller, and six years as mayor. She is one of only two women to have been elected mayor and is the only person in Houston history to have held the offices of council member, controller, and mayor. She was the first openly LGBTQ mayor of a major American city.

In addition to her duties as mayor, Parker was a member of President Barack Obama’s Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience, chaired the U.S. Conference of Mayors Criminal and Social Justice Committee, was a steering committee member of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, and served on the boards of the Texas Environmental Research Consortium and Houston Galveston Area Council. She is a past fellow of the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.