Fighting crime with flair
Boston native Rania Mankarious has passion for helping victims
You wouldn’t think the head of Crime Stoppers of Houston would have such a bubbly personality, given the organization’s mission is to solve and prevent serious crime.
Yet, Rania Mankarious is brimming with happiness. That’s because she loves her job and is passionate about helping people.
“This is everything I’ve ever loved,” said the 41-yearold Mankarious in a happy sundress by Houston designer David Peck. “I grew up talking about social-justice issues with my parents, and now, that’s my focus. We are in schools removing weapons, working with neighborhoods to keep them safe. I do it because I genuinely love this work. This is my lifelong dream.”
You also wouldn’t think Mankarious was from anywhere but Houston. Though she has a deep connection to the city, she hails from Boston, the daughter of Egyptian parents.
Her childhood dream was to be a broadcast journalist, like Barbara Walters.
“I remember in third grade watching her interview the president of Egypt. She was so impactful and powerful. It never left me,” Mankarious said.
But there were few TV opportunities in Boston for women who didn’t fit the blue-eyed blonde mold, she said. So Mankarious went on to earn a degree in psychology from Boston College, then a master’s in marriage and family therapy from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. (She also has passion for theology.)
Mankarious and her sister also owned and operated an international fashion magazine called Platinum. The publication had been in business for five years when 9-11 happened; it folded the following March.
“The publishing and fashion industry were hit hard, and we were too small to survive that type of blow,” said Mankarious, who went on to earn a law degree from University of Houston. She and husband Ramy Mankarious, a Houston native and anesthesiologist, have three daughters — Olivia, 9; Emma, 8; and Evelyn, 6.
She found the opportunity at Crime Stoppers through a student job board advertisng for an intern and was later promoted to marketing director. In 2013, Mankarious became the organization’s director.
“Ultimately, I wanted to be involved in the fabric of people’s lives, and I’m doing that,” she said.
As for her style, Mankarious says she always been attracted to the lawyer look — conservative and chic. But now that she also a regular TV analyst, she’s has a different approach.
“My goal has always to look good but not standout. Now, I pay more attention to what I wear. I don’t even mind standing out. I’ve grown into my own skin,” she said.
Barbara Walters would be proud.