Elaine Houston is the Director of Public Relations and Storytelling at Business for Good, a non-profit focusing on creating opportunities and access for those without a fair and equal chance of succeeding.
An Emmy winner and two-time Emmy nominated investigative reporter, Houston specialized in covering social justice stories while working at NewsChannel13, the NBC affiliate in Albany, NY.
At Business For Good, this impactful storyteller examines the lives of those given a hand up by the non-profit as it strives to tackle income inequality and other social inequities.
Houston has received numerous community awards, including awards from two New York governors, highlighting her career in television news and commitment to her community. She has also received three New York State Broadcasters Association awards, including one for her women’s podcast.
She was named the 2020 Journalist of Distinction for her reporting, and for the inspiration she has brought to women in her community from the National Association of Black Journalists. She received the Fuel Her Fire award from Girl’s Inc., the Women of Excellence award from the Albany-Colonie Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the Harriet Tubman Titan award in 2023 from the Israel African Methodist Episcopal Church.
In 2010, Houston taught broadcast journalism as an adjunct professor at SUNY Schenectady.
In 2012, she graced the cover of HERLIFE magazine for her humanitarian efforts on behalf of women in developing countries.
Houston wrote her first book in 2004: The Friendships Between Women is a compilation of letters from women on how they rose from tragedy and triumphed thanks to the help of other women. Proceeds were donated to Panzi Hospital in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and to other agencies that assist women.
Because of her passion for the courageous women in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Houston hopes to create a co-op program there, helping to provide women with jobs to support their families. She has traveled to South Africa and Tanzania where she helped a non-profit provide wells to villages.
Houston earned her doctorate in May 2024 from St. John Fisher University. At graduation, she received the Transformative Award after being nominated by her fellow students, and was selected as the student speaker for her cohort.