Articles

Leadership Texas, the oldest women's leadership development program in the United States, is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary in 2012. Since its founding in 1983, the organization has provided valuable education through travel and study opportunities to more than three thousand Texas women. Each year, Leadership Texas selects one hundred women leaders from diverse backgrounds to participate in a yearlong advancement program that provides enhancement through interactions with and presentations by state and national experts and on-site visits to major business, education, and cultural centers. 

Founders of Leadership Texas include former governor Ann Richards, attorney Sarah Weddington, businesswoman Cathy Bonner, and philanthropist and environmentalist Ellen Temple, who has also served on the Humanities Texas board.

Top alumnae from the program include Colleen Barrett, president emerita for Southwest Airlines; Ellen Ochoa, the first Hispanic female astronaut and deputy director of the Johnson Space Center; Congresswoman Kay Granger, representative of Texas's 12th District; and Texas State Representative Alma Allen (District 131).

"Leadership Texas has impacted so many women aspiring to be innovators and trailblazers in their local, regional, and national communities," said Candace O'Keefe-Mathis, CEO of the Foundation for Women's Resources. "The role Leadership Texas has had in shaping the professional world both in and beyond Texas is what makes so many women proud to be a part of it. Whether it's leading businesses, working to make a positive change in government, giving back to communities, or even exploring the outer reaches of space, my fellow graduates and I strive to leave a positive impact on the world."

Leadership Texas is one of several leadership programs offered by Texas-based Foundation for Women's Resources, a nonprofit organization providing emerging female leaders the opportunity to collaborate and advance the personal, economic and professional status of women. Applications are now being accepted for the 2013 program year of Leadership Texas. The deadline for 2013 is November 30, 2012. For more information about Leadership Texas, the anniversary celebration, or programs like it offered by Foundation for Women’s Resources, visit www.womensresources.org.