Desrye M. Morgan

Desrye is the Vice chair for Houston First Corporation. As a member of Houston First board of directors, Desrye also chairs the theater and operations committee, a member of the joint entrepreneur committee and previously served on the finance and operations committee. As a board member for over 8 years she has been integral in the development of the Theater District master plan, Miller Outdoor Theater master plan, the recently unveiling of the Jones Plaza re-design, Super Bowl 51 and Harvey recovery, among other initiatives. Her strong leadership has been integral with Comicpalooza, LAUNCH boutique for emerging designers, and the activation of Avenida Houston.

Desrye is a managing director with the Southwest Public Finance group of Wells Fargo Securities. She is an accomplished lawyer and investment banker with over 18 years of experience, advising and structuring over $9 billion of municipal financings for housing, transportation, airport, water and sewer systems and other public benefit projects. Desrye has served as the lead banker on bond financings for the City of Houston, Harris County, Harris County Metro, City of Dallas, New Orleans Rapid Transit Authority and Texas Water Development Board, among others. At Wells Fargo, Desrye also serves on the Houston Leadership Reputational Council and the Diversity and Inclusion Council. As a lawyer, her area of practice consisted of public finance, corporate and business transactions with concentration on business acquisition and regulatory compliance.

A native of New Orleans, Desrye moved to Houston to attend the University of Houston where she earned a Bachelor’s of Art degree in Political Science. She went on to earn a Juris Doctorate from South Texas College of Law. In addition to the Houston First Board, Desrye currently serves on the Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston and the South Texas College of Law Alumni Boards. She has previously served as a board member of the Super Bowl 51 Host Committee, Houston Are Urban League, Project Row Houses and the Contemporary Arts Museum. She is a member of National Association of Securities Professionals, Lupus Research Alliance, a 2010 graduate of Center of Houston’s Future, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, and the Missouri City, Texas Chapter of the Links.