Stephen and Kelley Lubanko have been philanthropically active in Houston for the past thirty-five years. They have focused their efforts primarily on causes for children and education, animals in the wild, and the arts, especially ballet.
Stephen is a native New Yorker who graduated from Phillips Academy at Andover and from Rochester University with a degree in geologic sciences. He founded Lubanko Oil Company in 1992 and is a major owner of Castex Energy Inc. He has drilled more than 1800 wells in eight states. He met Kelley while they both worked at Mitchell Energy Company, and they married in 1982.
Kelley was raised in Houston and graduated from UH. She is a former educator and currently serves on the boards of the Houston Ballet (as VP of Trustee Development) and the Houston Zoo. She previously served on the American Brain Foundation Board and was a longtime board member of the Children’s Assessment Center. She also served on the boards of Recipe for Success and Trees of Hope. She has chaired and co-chaired events for numerous organizations, including March of Dimes, Houston Zoo, Hermann Park, Houston Ballet, CanCare, ROCO, Covenant House, Children’s Assessment Center, and Trees of Hope. Kelley is a member of the Champagne Cowgirls, supporting youth scholarships through the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.
Stephen and Kelley have been honored as Community Champions by the Texas Children’s Cancer Center. Kelley was also named the recipient of the Cherish the Child Humanitarian Award by the Children’s Assessment Center. She has been named a Best Dressed Honoree by the March of Dimes, a Woman of Distinction by the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation and was recently inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame by the Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce.
They are the proud parents of two daughters, both married to wonderful men and the delighted grandparents of four perfect grandchildren.
Stephen and Kelley are humbled and appreciative of this honor, and they are forever grateful to support the strong and vibrant community that has given them so much.