BIO
Connie Reeves Cooke, a native of Baytown, Texas, graduated from Robert E. Lee High School. She attended Dallas Fashion Merchandising College and worked at the Dallas Apparel Mart for Texas Fashions Magazine holding the position of fashion coordinator and Dallas and New York showroom model for two Dallas fashion design houses. She returned to Houston to work in the same capacity for Joe Frank, Inc.
Connie and her late husband, Clayton, began playing tennis at Lakeside Country Club where she won a record nine doubles club championships and earned a state ranking with Clayton in Husband and Wife Doubles. She served on the board of the Lakeside Women’s Association, and served as president of the Lakeside Ladies Tennis Association.
In 1988, she began writing a society column for a statewide tennis newspaper before originating and writing the “Movers and Shapers” column for Houston Health & Fitness Magazine. That led to writing society columns for local and state magazines including Texas Woman, Philanthropy in Texas, Sense, Smart Set, and Features Editor of L’entrée. She also photographed the events for her columns, and did double duty as Fashion Editor and Stylist for Texas Woman and Smart Set. While writing for four magazines simultaneously, she also hosted her own society segment on two local television shows.
After attending Rice University to study novel and screenwriting, Connie’s love of writing led her to fulfill a lifelong dream of writing a novel, Fade to Dark, a suspense thriller which was published in 2006. Her second novel, Cayman Heat, another thriller set in the tropical paradise of Grand Cayman and the elite social stratosphere of Houston’s movers and shakers, was released in June 2012 and is in development for a television series. She is currently writing her third novel, Cayman Wind, the sequel to Cayman Heat.
Connie has served as chairman for numerous charity events in Houston including:
2016
Houston Humane Society “No Gala”
2015
Houston Humane Society “No Gala”
2014
Houston Humane Society’s “No Gala”
2010
“Serenity Garden and Green House Project Evening” for Memorial Hermann Prevention and Recovery Center; Houston Humane Society Gala
2009
Honorary chairman for the 2009 Houston Humane Society Gala
2008
Houston Humane Society Gala
2007
“Big Beautiful Birdy Ball” benefiting Lone Star Wildlife Rescue’s American bald eagle project; “No Gala” benefiting Breakthrough/Houston
2006
University of Houston Moores School of Music Gala; Co-chaired the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Gala; Co-chaired the Cancer League Luncheon
2005
University of Houston Moores School of Music Gala
2001
Silver Grace Hope Foundation Luncheon; Lone Star Wildlife Rescue Evening
2002
Silver Grace Hope Foundation Luncheon
1999
Event coordinator for the Silver Grace Hope Foundation Luncheon; Trees of Light for The Hospice at the Texas Medical Center; the Council on Recovery Luncheon, Houston
2000
Event coordinator for the Silver Grace Hope Foundation Luncheon
1998
Houston Children’s Charity Gala; the Maestro Collection Luncheon benefiting the Houston Symphony League; “Paul Williams Live” Evening for the Council on Recovery, Houston; Co-chaired the Symphony Scores Dinner Series
1996
Co-chaired the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Gala; Auction vice chairman for the “Marvin’s Million Dollar Dream” Gala celebrating Marvin Zindler’s birthday and benefiting the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center for Breast and Prostate Cancer Research;
1995
Auction chairman for the March of Dimes Ball; Underwriter dinner chairman for the March of Dimes Ball, Table sales chairman for the Houston Children’s Charity Gala; Table sales chairman for the Operation Rainbow Gala; Table sales chairman for The Council on Recovery Luncheon, Houston; Publicity and Musician Chairman for the Symphony Ball; Special Events Chairman for the Ballet Ball
2013
Houston Humane Society “No Gala”
2012
“Picnic in the Park” benefiting TEACH; Houston Humane Society “No Gala”; Publicity chairman for the University of Houston Moores School of Music Gala; Underwriter Dinner Chairman for the Winter Ball
2011
Houston Humane Society’s “No Gala;” “Royal Weddings – Then and Now” Luncheon with special guest HRH Prince Jean de France
Connie was the guest of honor “Open Your Heart” speaker at Houston‘s 2013 Heart Ball and was chosen as one of the 2011 Houston Treasures by The Social Book. She was named one of H Texas Magazine’s 25 Most Beautiful Houstonians in 2008 and was also honored as a CCFA 2006 Woman of Distinction. Connie and her husband, Clayton, were honored at Houston’s 2007 Cancer League Luncheon with the Alkek Ambassadors Award and were also honored at the 1999 Cancer League Luncheon as Pacesetters of the Year. Connie was honored as one of “Houston’s Ten Elite” at the 1996 Citizens for Animal Protection “Celebrity Paws” Gala.
HONORS
PERSONAL
Connie holds a life insurance license, is a certified scuba diver, and formerly held her real estate agent license for over 40 years. She is a member of The Houstonian Club, Memorial Drive United Methodist Church in Houston and a former member of Club Westside.
Her treasured leisure time is spent traveling the world and spending time at her Lake Travis home in the Texas Hill Country with her family and two Chihuahuas - Popi and Bella.
Connie served as president of the board of the Houston Humane Society for 14 years and retired in 2022. She is a member of the Mystery Writers of America, and a Junior League of Houston Tea Room patron. Her previous board and guild memberships include the Executive Committee and Board of the University of Houston Moores School of Music, Breakthrough/Houston, the Houston Ballet Guild, The Partnership for Baylor College of Medicine having served four years on the Partnership’s Executive Board, the Advisory Board of The Council on Recovery, Houston, the Executive Board of the Houston Symphony League, the March of Dimes Guild, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation / Gulf Coast Chapter, the United Cerebral Palsy Guild, Silver Grace Hope Foundation, Trees of Hope Guild, the Salvation Army Women‘s Auxiliary, TEACH, and Children‘s Assessment Center. She is a former member of the International Committee of RodeoHouston.