Tony Vedda Reflects on the Calling of LGBTQ+ Chamber Work
At the 2026 Pride In Business Celebration Luncheon + After Party, the Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce honored Tony Vedda with the Founders Award as part of the Chamber’s 10-Year Anniversary and Decade of Impact celebration.
The Founders Award recognizes leaders whose vision, service, and commitment have helped strengthen LGBTQ+ chambers of commerce and advance economic inclusion for LGBTQ+ businesses, professionals, and communities.
Tony, who serves as President & CEO of the North Texas LGBT Chamber of Commerce, has been a longtime champion of LGBTQ+ economic opportunity and a valued leader within the LGBTQ+ chamber movement. His support and guidance have been part of the Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber’s journey from the very beginning.
Watch Tony’s video about receiving the Founders Award and what this recognition means to him.
During the VIP Reception, Tony shared powerful remarks reflecting on the role of LGBTQ+ chambers, the urgency of this work, and why building economic power for the LGBTQ+ community matters now more than ever.
Remarks from Tony Vedda
This recognition has given me a chance to reflect on the chamber journey that brought me to Tammi, Gary, and the Greater Houston LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce.
My first chamber job was in 1984. It was just a job.
It wasn’t until I became CEO of the North Texas LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce that I realized this work isn’t just a job, it’s a calling.
That’s what made me so excited to work with Tammi and Gary. They understood from the start that we are not just here to network and throw fun parties — we’re here to serve a greater purpose.
Despite all the gains our community had made ten years ago when this chamber began, we were then and remain underserved and underrepresented.
Chambers of commerce exist to change that. We are the only organizations committed full-time to creating economic inclusion for LGBTQ+ people.
The work we do has never been more urgent.
Right now, as I stand before you, there are people just across the street — an organized group of people — who believe that LGBTQ+ people should not be legally protected from discrimination. Who believe that who we are is a choice that can and should be regulated.
Last year, legislators that we fund with our own hard-earned tax dollars filed no fewer than 160 bills targeting our community. This year, we were forced to remove our rainbow crosswalks — symbols that, to many of us, represent the simple right to exist visibly and safely in our own neighborhoods.
This is exactly why chambers like ours are a necessity, not a luxury.
We show up. We organize. We build economic power — because economic power is the only kind that lasts.
We invest in people. We build community. We advance knowledge. And we do it together.
Thank you to Tammi Wallace, Gary Wood and the Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce for this recognition. Thank you for the extraordinary work they do for the LGBTQ+ business movement and community.
A Calling That Continues
Tony’s remarks captured the heart of the Chamber’s work over the past decade and the work still ahead.
As the Greater Houston LGBTQ+ Chamber celebrates its 10-Year Anniversary, the Founders Award is a reminder that this movement has been built by leaders who believe deeply in visibility, opportunity, connection, and economic power for the LGBTQ+ community.
We are grateful to Tony Vedda for his leadership, friendship, and continued commitment to the LGBTQ+ chamber movement.
