Gary Louie

Louie saw the city's budget grow and change during his tenure in office, which he said was a "time period of growth in south Montgomery County."

As the city changed, Louie said he, and those who worked with him on the council, tried to help improve the community and the surrounding communities.

"I was really fortunate to have a council that understood our position in the global community," Louie said. "We tried to be active in the South Montgomery County Woodlands Area chamber of commerce, we tried to have representation in different decision-making bodies, including the Chamber of Commerce."

Part of that effort included Louie serving on the Town Center Improvement District for The Woodlands. He was also a small-business owner who owned an automotive repair business in The Woodlands from 1979 through 2001. Before that, Louie taught high school chemistry and physics.

After selling his business, Louie became the executive director of The Friendship Center, a nonprofit organization that provides services to seniors in The Woodlands area. He left that position after five years to work in community development for the YMCA of Greater Houston.

Since 2012, Louie has consulted with local organizations, trying to help them develop their leaders as well as connecting people who have skills that match the needs of those groups.

"I think I've played a role in helping people become community leaders," he said. "I do offer some opinions about operations, but for the most part it's trying to connect people with their personal passion and how they can help."

Louie said he prefers to work with homegrown organizations, trying to help them compete with larger organizations that are either national or international and are drawn to the area to find big donors.

"It makes it difficult for [the local organizations] to maintain their level of recognition and giving," Louie said. "I'd rather work with Montgomery County [and] Houston [organizations]. You may find in Montgomery County a small nonprofit and help them maintain their identity and maintain their focus on what their mission should be."

Louie's efforts to promote volunteerism reaches into his personal life as well.

"I've always tried to encourage people to be [involved]—including my children and the people that I can influence—that their opinion matters, that their participation matters," Louie said.