Houston Treasures

Don D. Jordan

HOUSTON TREASURE FOR 2009

Photo by: Gittings

jordandon Don D. Jordan is the former chairman and chief executive officer of Reliant Energy, the Houston-based international diversified energy services company. Joining the company in 1956 when it was called Houston Lighting & Power Company—and later Houston Industries—Don moved up to ever higher management positions and was CEO from 1977 until his recent retirement.

Among his many community activities, Don has served as president of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo and chairman of the boards of the Houston Chamber of Commerce and Texas Chamber of Commerce. He was president of the World Energy Council headquartered in London, chaired its 17th Congress in Houston in 1998 and is the organization’s Honorary Lifetime President.

Mr. Jordan also serves as a director of the Texas Medical Center, Chairman of the Board of South Texas College of Law and an executive committee member of the Greater Houston Partnership, as well as many other civic and charitable organizations.

Don’s many honors include being named Distinguished Alumnus by the University of Texas and South Texas College of Law, Distinguished Non Alumnus by the University of Houston, South Texan of the Year by the Texas Chamber of Commerce, Father of the Year by Community Partners, Outstanding Proud Partner by Keep Houston Beautiful and Man of the Year by Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. He has also received the Community Service Award from the Houston Citizens Chamber of Commerce; the Distinguished Citizen Award from the Rotary Club of Houston; and the Executive of the Year award from World Cogeneration Magazine. Don was a 2001 inductee into the Texas Business Hall of Fame, 2006 honoree for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Ben Johnson Memorial Classic, and Honorary Chairman of CCFA’s 2007 Winter Ball.

A native of Corpus Christi, Don graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and South Texas College of Law. He is married to Barbara Jordan and has three daughters, Leslie Hazelwood, Lisa Cunningham and Laura McNear.

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