“But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.”
Matthew 23:11 KJV
When it comes to understanding how this scripture is being fulfilled before our very eyes today, one need not look further than Deavra A. Daughtry, President and CEO of Excellent Care Management, one of the nation’s largest personal in-home care agencies. She is also the CEO of Excel E Care Home Health Care; CEO of Purpose to Blessing Productions; and Owner and President of Platinum Results Marketing and International Décor & Events.
March is National Women’s History Month, and in celebration of it, the Houston Forward Times is happy to introduce our 2016 Women’s History Month Special Edition. Our 2016 theme is “Celebrating the Public Service Impact of Black Women in our Community.” Our theme coincides with the 2016 theme of National Women’s History Month, which is “Working to Form a More Perfect Union: Honoring Women in Public Service and Government.” The national theme for 2016 honors women who have shaped America’s history and its future through their public service and government leadership.
Daughtry is one those women, who is making her mark on society.
Like many successful entrepreneurs, Daughtry has had to overcome tremendous odds to emerge as one of the most influential business women and 
philanthropists in the area. Starting out of the trunk of her car as a sole proprietorship, Daughtry now employs over 800 people throughout the Greater Houston Area. She has shared her compassion, as well as the skills she has learned, by training over 10,000 healthcare employees since she began.
Being an innovative and diverse business woman is just one of the many ways Daughtry has shown off her greatness and her servant’s heart to humanity. She has also become a passionate philanthropist, who formed a successful foundation to serve as a catalyst for families to gain the necessary tools they need to be inspired to reach their personal and professional goals, as well as maintain a true sense of empowerment – Texas Women’s Empowerment Foundation (TWEF).
TWEF is a 501©3 non-profit organization geared towards mentoring families from all walks of life; helping them to reach their fullest potential in the areas of personal development, business, education, finances and socio-economic development. TWEF is headquartered in Houston, but serves families throughout the state of Texas. TWEF also has Regional Offices located in Washington D.C.; Los Angeles, CA; Omaha, NE; Dallas, TX; and Jacksonville, FL. TWEF has already made a tremendous impact on the individuals that it serves.
Daughtry didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in her mouth with access to tons of resources, so having the vision to create TWEF was right up her alley. Having experienced many personal struggles of her own, Daughtry tried desperately to put the pieces of her life together and fought tirelessly to overcome those challenges as a single mother of two young children. Thosestruggles gave her the passion to create a vehicle for people to take advantage of resources that she didn’t have access to prior to becoming a successful entrepreneur.
Daughtry started TWEF in May 2002 as a way to give back to individuals, who like her, lacked the available resources needed to advance along the path to independence and self-reliance. In 2006, Daughtry decided to make a major investment in her community, so she developed the Empowerment Community Center. She personally invested $800,000 towards construction and as a result she has impacted over 100,000 lives by allowing TWEF to carry out its mission.
As a result of her investment, TWEF has been able to offer free programs to the public, which focus on the whole family – men, women and youth. TWEF provides successful programs aimed at helping families achieve and maintain a sense of empowerment that manifests itself through life performance. TWEF programs are open to the general public; however, an emphasis is placed on a targeted population of low-to-moderate income families from disadvantaged backgrounds and underserved communities. Because of a successful track record and a tremendous response from families across the State of Texas, TWEF expanded its programs and services to include men and youth.
Daughtry has created many quality programs that serve the community, such as:
Empowerment Training Institute (ETI)
Offers career readiness training, money management, personal development and business development training in a dynamic and professional learning environment designed to prepare individuals for success in a diverse and expanding global job market.
Technology Center
A state of the art facility offering training in Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint applications, foreign language, money management applications plus internet search engine literacy, and social media training which are all aimed at college and career readiness and development of marketable skills.
Eagle Scholars Student Enrichment Program
Seeks to facilitate after-school enrichment workshops as a mechanism of prevention, intervention, empowerment, mentorship and academic and social preparation among academically challenged students, special needs students and developing student leaders through facilitating college preparation studies, student leadership development, academic assistance and lifestyle training.
Young Empowered Progressive Productive (Y.E.P.P.)
Addresses the evolving needs of elementary, middle and high school students and establishes fundamental and advanced strategies needed to aide students in academic development, relational development, personal awareness and personal success.
Mentoring Educating Networking (M.E.N.)
Designed to mentor young men in the community of Houston and surrounding areas with a five-point agenda – Academic and Professional Development; Relationship Enhancement; Social Foundation; Health and Wellness; and Personal Presentation.
Youth Empowerment Entrepreneurship and Academic Success Seminar
Provides students, ages 6 to 18, with school supplies, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, academic work sessions and a greater sense of purpose as they return back to school.
Eagle-TEC/Geo
Gives students, grades 8-12, the chance to travel the country, meet inspiring people and learn about opportunities for careers in the geosciences. Students meet during the summer visiting universities and institutions that specialize in geosciences technologies and visiting several locations of geologic significance around the United States.
Healthy Eating & Living Pantry
Available to low-income individuals, with special emphasis to ensure the frail and elderly receive free groceries once a month. These groceries supplement the food that senior citizens are able to buy on their own, which allows them to stretch their dollars. People in need can go weekly to get free food (mostly canned and packaged foods) to take home with them to prepare.
TWEF offers monthly business, leadership, finance, beginner Spanish and career readiness classes through the Empowerment Training Institute. Once a quarter, TWEF hosts special events just for women, where women share their struggles in an environment that promotes dialogue and comfort. Special guest speakers encourage self-reliance, motivation and personal development. The events cover career development as well as domestic engineering. Other topics are covered such as the basics of money management, debt, savings, insurance, investing, achieving financial security, AIDS awareness and domestic violence.
Daughtry has and continues to make a difference as a business owner and as a public servant.
Daughtry has empowered the youth of the community with her donations of over $100,000 in scholarships for continuing education. TWEF has contributed thousands of dollars to other non-profit organizations, and has received several proclamations and recognitions including the Certificate of Congressional Recognition from the Houston Housing and Community Developing Department “National Community Development Week”; National Power Networking Award Sponsored by Delta Airlines; NAACP Presidential Award for Community Service; and Community Service Award from University of Texas.
TWEF expanded global reach in 2006 with the launching of the “International Global Leadership Summit” featuring Dr. Myles Munroe, which attracted attendees from all over the world. TWEF was inducted into the International Third World Leaders Association (ITWLA) which is comprised of 80 nations around the world empowering Third World Countries. TWEF hosts an Annual Empowerment Conference called the International Financial Leadership Summit that features an array of banking institutions, business, civic, political and community leaders that lead discussions on business, financial and empowerment issues.
Daughtry holds both a Doctor of Divinity and a Doctor of Humanity degree from Logos Christian College and Graduate Schools. She serves on several local, national and international boards of directors. She has published three books, with a best seller named “Purpose to Blessings.” Deavra’s main theme in life is making a difference in the lives of others and she is most proud of her greatest role as mother to her two beautiful children, Chaz and Ebone.
Daughtry is an amazing African American female entrepreneur and philanthropist, and it is fitting that she be highlighted by the Houston Forward Times during National Women’s History Month, as one of Houston’s most impactful public servants.