At its second annual Champions of Hope gala on May 7 in Houston, The Holdsworth Center honored the Permian Strategic Partnership, or PSP, a coalition of energy companies and higher education institutions working to improve public education in the Permian Basin region, among other goals.
Since its founding in 2019, PSP has directly invested nearly $184 million and has been able to leverage more than $1.8 billion in community support across West Texas and Southeastern New Mexico. Watch a video about their contributions here.
Along with the Scharbauer Foundation, PSP invested $6.1 million to strengthen the skills of public-school leaders in the Permian region in partnership with Holdsworth. After just one year of partnership, 92 percent of educators reported that Holdsworth influenced their district or campus’ focus on achieving excellent and equitable student outcomes.
Don Evans, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce and Chair of PSP, accepted the award on behalf of PSP.
“I believe public service and giving back is our highest calling in life,” Evans said. “I can’t thank The Holdsworth Center enough for what they’re doing and how they’re supporting the Permian region. We need great leaders to make sure children have a fair shot in life.”
The Champions of Hope gala shines a spotlight on Texas education leaders who are making a positive impact on students’ lives and futures, as well as the people and organizations who support them.
In addition to PSP, Holdsworth recognized six alumni who were named Champions of Hope in the months leading up to the event. They are:
- Ashley Chohlis, Superintendent of Uvalde CISD
- Denise De Loera, Campus Leader in Ector County ISD
- Elizabeth Minto-Bauer, Principal in Harlingen CISD
- Dr. Bobby Ott, Superintendent of Temple ISD
- Dr. Usamah Rodgers, Superintendent of DeSoto ISD
- Cynthia Sullivan, Teacher in Klein ISD
Learn more about each leader’s unique story at the Champions of Hope microsite.
To end the night, Dr. Ruth Simmons, founding Holdsworth board chair and one of the nation’s most celebrated higher education leaders, urged attendees to support Holdsworth’s mission. She said:
“Holdsworth is all about contributing to a brighter future for Texas youth by supporting the people who commit their lives to the education of young people. Today, as world events are roiled by political and cultural hostilities, I ask myself what I can meaningfully do in such a moment – something positive, something that heals the wounds we’re putting on each other, something that creates a better future. I remain hopeful that reason and good works by me will provide a powerful antidote to despair. Hopeless moments can never be interminable so long as we are committed to good acts. I hope we’ll all remember not to waste our time despairing about current challenges, but instead set our alarm clocks to wake up every morning to ways of helping our communities improve and thrive.”
Learn how you can support Holdsworth here.
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