Kathryn J. Whitmire served for five terms as Mayor of the City of Houston from 1982 to 1992. Prior to serving as Mayor, she was elected City Controller in 1977 and was re-elected in 1979. She was the first woman to be elected to any city office Houston. While Mayor, Ms. Whitmire also served as President of both the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the Texas Municipal League.

After leaving office in 1992, Ms. Whitmire joined the faculty of Rice University in Houston, where she was Director of the Rice Institute for Policy Analysis and taught courses in public policy, management and political science. She was also a commentator on public issues for KHOU Television and a talk show host for KPRC Radio in Houston. In 1994, Ms. Whitmire became President and CEO of Junior Achievement, Inc. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the New York Stock Exchange and is an Adviser to the Kellogg Foundation's National Fellowship Program. In addition, she serves on the Executive Committee of Scenic America, as a member of the Policy Advisory Committee for the U.S. Trade Representative from 1988 to 1991, and chaired the task force on international economic development for the National League of Cities.