2026 Key to Design Honorees
The Kappa Kappa Gamma Charitable Foundation of Houston is excited for
Key to Design: A Tablescape Event, where creativity meets community impact. This inaugural event continues our legacy of supporting Houston's future through early childhood education and development programs that strengthen our city's foundation.
To usher in this new chapter for Houston Kappas, we will celebrate the contributions of three Key Honorees: Courtnay Tartt Elias, Carole Fuller Monday, and Kimberly Renfro Martin.
Key Honoree
Courtnay Elias
Gamma Phi, Southern Methodist University
Courtnay and her husband are parents to three children. A graduate of Southern Methodist University, she discovered her passion for design early in life. Her avant-garde approach to design and technicolor interiors have garnered a proceeding reputation for interior designer…pure fun. The principal designer of Creative Tonic, Courtnay has been fashioning together interiors that invite celebration, layered with inventive pattern combinations. Her love for travel led her to London, where she studied 19th and 20th-century decorative arts at Sotheby's, deepening her appreciation for color, texture, and the stories objects can tell.
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In 2006, Courtnay founded Creative Tonic, an interior design firm dedicated to creating spaces with layered textures, tones, and prints combined with fascinating stories and histories of the people who inhabit them. Living life to its fullest color, she continues her work alongside a talented team, inspired by the opportunity to transform homes into beautiful expressions of personal story.
Key Honoree
Kim Martin
Epsilon Upsilon, Baylor University
Raised in East Texas and a graduate of Baylor University, Kim has called Houston home for more than 30 years with her husband, Scott, and their three children. She leads a full life centered on family, friendship, entrepreneurship, and a deep commitment to learning and serving her community. If you ask Kim to get involved, her answer is almost always “yes.”
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Kim is the co-founder of Queen Bee Distilling, a woman-owned premium spirits brand where all products are gluten free, grain free, nightshade free, chemical free and glycerin free. Delivering spirits as smooth as honey, and ready for the celebration! Kim is passionate about helping others and volunteering alongside friends particularly in the areas of education and research. Her service in roles such as past President of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Charitable Foundation of Houston and past Co-chair of Kappa Pilgrimage are among Kim's many other leadership and volunteer efforts across Houston and throughout Texas.
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Key Honoree
Carole Monday
Delta Chi, San Jose State University
Carole was raised in San Francisco and pledged Kappa Kappa Gamma at San José State University. Her journey in Kappa began as President of her chapter and has remained an important and enduring thread throughout her life.
Marrying Barrett Monday and moving to Houston proved to be the best thing that could have happened to a California girl. In a new city, Houston Kappas quickly became her anchor, providing friendship, purpose, and a sense of home. Over the years, and through many leadership roles in Kappa, she has been given the opportunity to serve both her sorority and her community. From Rush Chairman and Pilgrimage Chairman, to Alumnae President, President of the Kappa Charitable Foundation of Houston, and then serving once again as Alumnae President, she is deeply grateful for every experience.
Mother to two Kappa daughters, a Sigma Chi son, and six grandchildren ranging in age from 1 to 22, Carole is both blessed and joyfully busy.
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