Bauer College Board Members Recognized for Outstanding Leadership
Pamela O’Rourke (BBA ’95) and Janette Marx Honored for Strategy and Thought Leadership
Published on March 9, 2022
The C. T. Bauer College of Business relies on the guidance of business leaders appointed to the Bauer College Board (BCB) for strategy and thought leadership. Two powerhouse members of the BCB who are known for actively advocating for women in business were recognized recently for their outstanding leadership in the Houston area business community.
Janette Marx, CEO of the global workforce solutions company Airswift, was sworn in as 2022 Chairman of the Board for the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce (GHWCC).
Janette Marx, CEO of the global workforce solutions company Airswift, was sworn in as 2022 Chairman of the Board for the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce (GHWCC).
Pamela O’Rourke, (BBA ’95), CEO of ICON Consultants, was named one of “Houston’s 50 Most Influential Women of 2020-21” by Houston Woman Magazine at a February event.
“We are honored to have these amazing women serving on the Bauer College of Business and celebrate their many accomplishments,” said Bauer College Dean and Cullen Distinguished Chair Paul A. Pavlou. “Their contributions are helping to shape and transform the business world.”
Marx, who joined BCB in 2020, has announced ambitious plans for GHWCC. Her goals include increasing the number of women entrepreneurs and students served by the organization, while also boosting the number of women members named to corporate boards by 20 percent.
“The purpose of the chamber is to advance and empower women through leadership, education, advocacy, and mentoring,” Marx said. “For 15 years, the GHWCC has been providing a way for businesswomen to help other businesswomen.”
Marx has been CEO of Airswift Worldwide Resources since June 2018. She joined Swift as COO in 2014, leading the integration of Swift and Air Energi, which merged to form Airswift in 2016. The 25-year industry veteran is known for her focus on growth, both financially and culturally. Under Marx's leadership, Airswift has grown through dedicated development of its leaders and employees as well as transformational technology projects. Prior to joining Airswift, Marx spent 19 years at The Adecco Group, ultimately running the engineering, technical, medical, and science divisions.
Community engagement is a priority for Marx. In addition to serving as Chairman of the GHWCC board, and serving on the Bauer College Board, she serves on the boards of the American Cancer Society's CEOs Against Cancer, Junior Achievement and the American Staffing Association.
Pamela O’Rourke, (BBA ’95), CEO of ICON Consultants, was named one of “Houston’s 50 Most Influential Women of 2020-21” by Houston Woman Magazine at a February event.
Marx was recently named as a 2022 Trailblazing Woman by Pride Global. She was featured on the 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 Staffing Industry Analysts' Staffing 100 in North America lists. In 2018, Marx won a GRIT award for being a pioneering female and energy executive. Marx was also recognized as an energy industry leader by the Houston Business Journal's Women Who Mean Business awards in 2019, and was named a Global Leader of Influence by the World Affairs Council in 2020. She earned an MBA from Duke University Fuqua School of Business.
Pamela O’Rourke is CEO of ICON Consultants, LP, an award-winning, women-owned and WBENC certified business she founded as the sole employee in 1998.
Under her leadership, ICON has grown to include more than 6,000 employees in the U.S. and Canada, with over $650 million in annual revenue. O’Rourke is passionate about mentoring other business-minded women and believes in helping female entrepreneurs achieve their career goals. In addition to supporting women-owned companies, she has a long history of funding scholarships and mentoring through the University of Houston (UH). A native Houstonian, O’Rourke received her Management Information Systems (MIS) degree from University of Houston Clear Lake in 1995. She received a Distinguished Alumni Award from UH in 2016, and a Luminary Award from the C200 Foundation, which funded three $10,000 Scholar Awards for women graduate business students at UH in her name.
O’Rourke is an active member of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and has contributed more than $750,000 in sponsorships to Women Business Enterprise (“WBE”) events. She was named a 2019 Women Who Mean Business honoree, and ICON has earned the top spot as the largest woman-owned business in the area for three consecutive years. In 2011 she was inducted into the WBE Hall of Fame by the American Institute of Diversity and Commerce (AIDC). Other awards include the WBENC WBE Star Award, WBC-Southwest’s WBE Advocate of the Year Award and WBE of the Year for the over $5-million category (2011 and 2013); the WBEA Supplier of the Year (over $10 million) in 2021, 2014 and 2010, and the WBEA Woman Advocate of the Year in 2021 and 2009.
Other business awards include the U.S. Small Business Administration's 2005 "Women in Business Champion of the Year” and the “Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2009 Award” for the Houston and Gulf Coast Area in the Business Services and Staffing category. She has received numerous awards as one of the 50 Fastest-Growing/Led Companies by the Women Presidents’ Organization and American Express since its inception in 2005.