Cheryl Byington worked for BP for 41 years, retiring in June 2018. According to Beth Wolff, in her tribute to Cheryl as a Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce 2017 inductee, Cheryl is a “trail blazer for women in energy” who rose through the managerial ranks of BP to become a vice president. During her tenure with BP, Cheryl mentored both men and women within the organization to achieve their fullest potential.

 

For many years, Cheryl was the BP representative invited to the University of Texas in Austin to deliver the keynote address to the incoming freshman class of the McCombs School of Business. She also participated in the University of Texas Women Council’s forums and panels.

 

Cheryl prides herself on having a high moral compass. She approaches everything she does with integrity and is dedicated to following through on all her commitments. Many charitable and cultural organizations have benefited from Cheryl’s commitment and leadership.

 

One of the organizations to have benefited greatly from Cheryl’s dedication is the Houston Fire Museum and Education Center (HFMI). She has held numerous positions with the organization and has been its second vice president since 2010. Cheryl was part of the executive committee for the HFMI which negotiated the sale of the HFM from the City of Houston to HFMI. The committee is currently in the early stages of initiating HFMI’s capital campaign, in which Cheryl is actively involved as part of the lead volunteer committee. Additionally, as part of the HFMI’s executive director panel selection committee, Cheryl developed interview questions for potential candidates and participated in the selection of multiple executive directors. She also developed job descriptions for the current HFMI staff.

 

The Houston Symphony League board has also benefited tremendously from Cheryl’s involvement. She has served in numerous capacities, including as 2018 to 2019 Symphony League corresponding secretary, 2017 to 2018 Symphony League vice president of arrangements, 2012 to the present Symphony League member, 2013 to 2016  Houston Symphony Society board of trustees member, 2016 to 2019 Symphony Ball auction/wine committee member, 2016 to 2019 Ima Hogg Competition committee member, and 2018 to 2019 Symphony Legacy Society member.

 

Cheryl has also served the American Heart Association (AHA) in a number of capacities, including as a 2012 to 2018 Circle of Red member, a 2012 to 2014 board trustee on behalf of BP, the 2013 Go Red Luncheon chair, the 2013 Open Your Heart chair,  a 2012 Executive Leadership Team member,  and a 2012 to present Heart Guild member. She has also served the Women’s Fund in a number of capacities, including as the 2018 Dinner with Friends underwriter cochair, as the 2017 Dinner with Friends cochair, as a 2015 to the present board trustee, and as a 2012 to the present member.

 

Cheryl also contributes, or has contributed, her time and expertise to the Society of Performing Arts (SPA), UNICEF, Virtuosi of Houston, Shriners Hospitals for Children Houston, Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce, KNOWAutism, International Women’s Forum, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLS&R) Hot Chicks Annual Poultry Scholarship, Methodist Society, The Partnership for Baylor College, Covenant House, Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary, Children’s Defense Fund, Ballet Guild, Historical Texas Treasures, Child Advocates, University of Houston Moores School of Music Advisory Board, the March of Dimes, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Mission of Yahweh, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s Winter Ball, the Women’s Home, Legacy, Developments in Literacy, the Barbara Bush Power of Literacy Guild, the Holocaust Museum Houston, the Houston Arts Alliance, Bo’s Place, Crime Stoppers of Houston, The Parish School, the Galveston Bay Foundation, Latin Women’s Initiative, Hats Off To Mothers, Music Doing Good, Elves & More, The Children’s Assessment Center, A Passion For Fashion Inc., the Assistance League of Houston, Kick Out Kidney Disease, Dec My Room, Hats in the Park, the Center for Contemporary Craft, United Way of Greater Houston, Recipe for Success, the Houston Grand Opera, the Bayou Preservation Association, the Consular Ball, and the Holly Rose Ribbon Foundation.

 

As an enthusiastic member of the organizations she is involved with, Cheryl is or has been: the cochair of the 2020 Virtuosi of Houston Gala, a 2019 Gala committee member for Covenant House, the cochair of SPA’s 2019 Black and White Masked Ball, the cochair of the 2019 UNICEF Gala, the chair of the Shriner Hospitals for Children Houston’s 2019 Garden Party, the 2019 KNOWAutism ambassador, a member of the Shriner Hospitals for Children Houston’s 2018 Garden Party auction committee, a member of the 2017 host committee of Historical Texas Treasures, the chair of the 2015 Children’s Defense Fund Luncheon, and a member of the decorating committee for the 2015 SPA Somewhere over the Rainbow Gala.

 

Because her depth of service knows no bounds, Cheryl has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including being a Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation Woman of Distinction honoree, 2020; being named one of Houston’s 25 Most Beautiful, 2019, by H Texas magazine; being a Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame Inductee, 2017; and being a Citizens for Animal Protection (CAPS) honoree, 2014.

 

Cheryl loves to travel and has visited over 60 countries with her husband, Sam Byington, to whom she has been happily married for 32 years. The couple have a rescue dog named Simba who Cheryl says rescued them.

 

It is for all the reasons mentioned above, and many more, that Cheryl Byington has been named a Top 20 Inspiring Woman Impact Maker for 2020.