OBO CFO Celebrates 45 Years with City of Houston

OBO CFO Celebrates 45 Years with City of Houston

By: Andrea Sidlauskas

After 45 years of service to the City of Houston, Patsy Jackson is still going strong as ever. She currently serves as the Chief Financial Officer for the Office of Business Opportunity, but she has been with several departments throughout her impressive tenure.

45 YEARS OF SERVICE: Patsy Jackson has no plans to retire soon. When she does retire, she plans to continue in a role that will allow her to help others.

“I think the challenge is what kept me,” Jackson said. “I had opportunities to leave, I wasn’t stuck. I’m happy [with my decision to stay] because I think the positions that I’ve been in, and I’ve been in quite a few, I’ve been able to do something constructive and something that would better the City.”

Jackson has carried various supervisory, organizational and project management positions throughout her tenure, working in the departments of Planning and Development, Human Resources, Housing and Community Development and Affirmative Action, which is now known as the Office of Business Opportunity (OBO).

We never know what people are facing at home. We don’t know what they’re going through, and sometimes it’s just good for people to know that you care, even if you’re not doing anything other than being nice to them.

Through all her roles and departments, she has been with OBO the longest. She even had a hand in developing the department while she was working in Planning.

“We were the pioneers who set up the OBO Solutions Center,” Jackson said. “We’re the ones who put together the pamphlets, we did the research on the licenses and the permits that were required. There was no one-stop business assistance center, or OBO Solutions Center, before us.”

Jackson credits the love of a challenge to her length of time in OBO, and she said no two days, or two weeks, are the same. In her current role, she serves as liaison to all City departments, and managing the OBO’s budget along with other financial matters that may arise. She also manages the administration of the City’s Pay or Play program.

But more than the challenges, she said her favorite part about working in her current position is the opportunity to meet new people.

“I get a chance to give everybody a warm welcome into OBO,” Jackson said. “I try to make sure that when you come on board, you don’t feel like, ‘I’m employee number 6678910, and I’m just going to report to my station and put my head in the computer and nobody talks to me.’ They can talk to somebody; they can ask questions. I want people to feel how I would want to feel. I would want to feel like people thought enough of me to reach out to me before I got here and make me feel like I’m welcome.”

Although she does not have explicit plans to retire any time soon, she said she will always be in a role to help others.

“Even when I retire, I don’t want to retire to be at home,” Jackson said. “I want to retire to go and help somewhere. I just want to be able to contribute to society, people’s lives and their wellbeing.”

She emphasized the importance of being a kind person, and that small actions can make a large impact on another person’s day.

“One day I was walking through the tunnel, and this guy came past me, and I said, ‘Hey, how are you doing today?’ When he turned around, he had tears in his eyes. He said, ‘You don’t know what it means for you to speak to me.’ And I didn’t even know him,” Jackson said. “Sometimes people really just need help, and all it takes is that help to get them over the line.”

Jackson earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Grambling State University and a Master’s degree in Project Management from DeVry University. Her current duties include budget development, planning, projections, forecasting and monitoring expenditures. She loves a challenge; she is a high achiever; but above all, she enjoys helping people.

“We never know what people are facing at home,” Jackson said. “We don’t know what they’re going through, and sometimes it’s just good for people to know that you care, even if you’re not doing anything other than being nice to them. Be the best person that you can be. Some days you may have a rough day, but try to constantly be the best person that you can be.”