Perhaps those Chick Lit-ters should be renamed Tricky Chick Lits. For the past couple of years, they’ve moved their annual Community Partners of Dallas fundraising luncheon from the tried-and-true Brook Hollow to the bigger-than-mansion Hilton Anatole Chantilly Ballroom. They’ve also shifted just slightly from authors to author/TV types.
This year they’ve continued that, adding film/video to their featured speaker. Think Chick Flick! But more about that in a second.


CPD President/CEO Paige McDaniel has been holding her breath and just exhaled the news that the luncheon will return to the Anatole on Friday, April 13, with Lara and Dr. Robert Tafel serving as presenting sponsors.





Chairing this year’s event will be Mersina Stubbs, who has recruited Cate Ford, Callan Harrison, Brooke Hortenstine and Lynn McBee for her underwriting team. For her honorary chair, Mersina has managed to get Nancy Perot. Talk about a dream team!
Now, for the featured speaker. Here are some clues:
- She was chosen as one of Teen People Magazine’s “21 Hottest Stars under 21” back in 1999.
- Her dad specializes in divorces.
- Is a single mom.
- Has played everything from Jackie Kennedy to Batman’s girlfriend.
If your IMDb search is on overdrive, then you know who it is. And you just know that she ain’t exactly like last year’s keynoter Bethenny Frankel. She likes to stay under the TMZ radar and that’s pretty hard to do. If you’re still in the dark, follow the jump and get your table locked down:

You guessed it — “Dawson’s Creek”’s Katie Holmes!
Here is the entire release:
Community Partners of Dallas Announces Katie Holmes As Featured Speaker for 12th Annual Luncheon
Mersina Stubbs to serve as chair of April 13 luncheon
(Dallas, TX) – Community Partners of Dallas (CPD) announces actress Katie Holmes, known for her work in films and television and on Broadway, as the featured speaker for the 12th Annual Chick Lit Luncheon presented by Dr. Robert and Lara Tafel on Friday, April 13, 2018 at the Hilton Anatole. Mersina Stubbs will chair the annual fundraiser with Nancy Perot serving as honorary chair. Cate Ford, Callan Harrison, Brooke Hortenstine and Lynn McBee will serve as underwriting co-chairs.
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“Chick Lit is going ‘Chick Flick’ and we could not be more excited to have Katie Holmes as our keynote speaker for this year’s luncheon,” remarked Paige McDaniel, president and CEO, Community Partners of Dallas. “Following such notable speakers from recent years, like Tim Gunn and Betheny Frankel, we expect Katie to thoroughly enthrall our Chick Lit devotees as she shares her experiences as one of America’s favorite actresses.”
As an actress who has received critical acclaim for a spectrum of diversified roles on stage and screen, Katie Holmes has appeared in several notable films, ranging from the action blockbuster Batman Begins, directed by Christopher Nolan, to critically acclaimed art house pictures such as Ang Lee’s The Ice Storm and Peter Hedges’ Pieces of April.
Holmes is currently working on the films Doorman, Ocean’s 8 and The Secret. She was last seen in, Steven Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky, released in August 2017. She recently wrapped production on Claude Lalonde’s The Gift, opposite Patrick Stewart, and Coup d’État, directed by Lisa Addario and Joe Syracuse.