As part of its ongoing investment in lifecycle leadership development for women and girls, Texas Women’s Foundation hosted a powerful day of leadership, learning and inspiration on May 8th at the Omni Dallas Hotel. From thought-provoking conversations to unforgettable moments honoring trailblazing women and rising young leaders, the day helped support the Foundation’s mission of building #StrongWomenBetterTexas
The day began with #BESTSELF, where nearly 200 students who came together for engaging workshops focused on making smart, informed decisions, navigating the physical and emotional changes of adolescence, and harnessing the power of their voices to create meaningful change.
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| Karen Hughes White, Cris Zertuche Wong, Carrie Freeman Parsons |
In the afternoon, TXWF hosted its annual Leadership Forum – a dynamic masterclass featuring microlearning sessions with the recipients of the 2025 Maura and Young Leader Awards. Author, speaker and 2025 Maura Award recipient Anne Chow kicked things off with a Ted Talk-style “ANNE Talk,” sharing insights from her book Lead Bigger. TXWF Board Director Deborah Hunter Johnson led a ”POWER Panel” discussion on advancing women and girls in STEM with 2025 Maura awardees Dr. Carine Feyten, Dr. Nuripama “Rupa” DeSilva, and Jennifer Bartkowski. Afterward, the crowd was treated to exciting “5 in 5” interviews in which two young students from Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School, a Young Women’s Preparatory Network School, asked five “rapid-fire questions in five minutes of TXWF’s 2025 Young Leader awardees Haleigh Jones and Cristal Retana Lule. The Forum wrapped up with some “REAL Talk” between Anne Chow and NBC5 Anchor Deborah Ferguson.
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| Theresa Flores, Liz Cedillo-Pereira, Linda Valdez Thompson |
At the Celebration Dinner following the Forum, event co-chairs Debbie Dennis, Chief Customer Officer and SVP Human Resources and Corporate Affairs at Oncor Electric Delivery, and Brooke Hopkins, Managing Director at Alvarez & Marsal, welcomed attendees and thanked key partners.
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| Debbie Dennis, Brooke Hopkins (event co-chairs) |
Texas Women’s Foundation Board Chair Carrie Freeman Parsons greeted event guests, sharing, “With clarity of purpose and your support, we’ve continued to fulfill our mission and grow our impact year over year for the past 39 years.” Carrie also introduced the individuals who nominated the 2025 Young Leader awardees:
· Trey Crawford introduced Haleigh Jones, Crawford, Wishnew & Lang Attorney.
· Maria Mendez introduced Cristal Retana Lule, Children’s Health Vice President of Community Relations.
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Awards Selection Committee Co-chair and previous Maura Award recipient Brenda Jackson introduced the 2025 Maura honorees and their presenters.
· Kim Lyle introduced Jennifer Bartkowski, Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas CEO.
· Mylinh Luong introduced Anne Chow, The Rewired CEO Founder.
· Samantha Barakat introduced Dr. Rupa DeSilva, Parkland Health, UT Southwestern Medical Center Professor.
· Christopher Johnson introduced Dr. Carine Feyten, Texas Woman’s University Chancellor and President.
· Former TXWF Board Chairs Caren Lock and Shonn Brown introduced Cynt Marshall, Marshalling Resources Founder and The Dallas Mavericks (retired CEO), who was unable to attend the event.
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| Dianne Chipps Bailey, Dodee Frost Crockett, Jennifer Chandler, Alesia Coffman, Crissie Fortmeyer |
Dia Wall, WFAA anchor and reporter, hosted a conversation with the 2025 Maura Award recipients who shared their insight on everything from healthcare, to education, the wage gap and increased representation of women and Women of Color in leadership.
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| Karen Hughes White, Effie Dennison, Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Caren Lock |
Incoming TXWF Board Chair, Cris Zertuche Wong closed out the program by thanking all in attendance and invited guests to attend TXWF’s upcoming 40th Annual Luncheon at the Omni Hotel on November 14.
For additional partners and patrons, visit https://txwf.org/join-us/events/lfac-event/
Photo credit: Kim Leeson and Guy Rogers/TXWF
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