Minnette Boesel has an undergraduate degree in art history and a graduate degree in historic preservation from Columbia University. After working for several historic preservation organizations outside of Texas, her work in Houston includes serving as Executive Director of the Downtown Houston Association and as founding Director of the Market Square Historic District Project, Inc. She started a real estate company, Minnette Boesel Properties, Inc., to work with developers and others to save, renovate and convert vacant historic buildings in downtown and in the area of the city known as the East End. She was a partner in the first downtown historic loft condominium conversion project. From 2008 to 2015, she served as Director of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs which partners with a non-profit affiliate organization in coordinating grants for arts and cultural organizations and overseeing the city’s civic art collection.
Her volunteer activities include serving as board member of the Houston Association of Realtors; Chair and board member of the Downtown Redevelopment Authority/Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone #3; past President of Preservation Houston; and board member of the Houston Arts Alliance, Scenic Texas, Rice Design Alliance and The Heritage Society.