The Holdsworth Center
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The Holdsworth Center hosts inspiring events that bring together community members and education leaders to learn, connect and grow.
This is a conversation series between dynamic leaders and Holdsworth’s president, Dr. Lindsay Whorton. The talks explore people’s lived experiences based on the idea that leadership is not a skill people are born with—it can be learned, explored, and studied.
Place The Ladder
On Nov. 4, 2025, Chris Cassidy shared leadership lessons from his remarkable journey from small-town Maine to the Navy SEALs, to outer space as a NASA astronaut, and now as CEO of the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation.
01. Chris Cassidy
On Sept. 30, 2025, former CEO of Indeed Chris Hyams discussed the dangers and promise of AI and how we can better prepare young people for meaningful careers in a rapidly evolving world.
02. Chris Hyams
This Feb. 3, 2025 conversation with award-winning author and cultural historian Imani Perry covered how history, education and personal narratives shape courageous, empathetic leadership. Time Magazine named her latest work, “Black in Blues,” one of its Most Anticipated Books of 2025.
03. Imani Perry
On October 22, 2024, The Holdsworth Center’s president, Dr. Lindsay Whorton, sat down for a lively conversation with Austin-based marketing guru Roy Spence, founder of the Make it Movement and venture capitalist Ted Dintersmith, founder of WhatSchoolsCouldBe.org, about reimagining education for the future.
04. Spence / Dintersmith
On August 15th 2024, Dr. David Yeager, a growth mindset expert who has worked alongside Angela Duckworth (Grit) and Carol Dweck (Mindset)—discussed his new book “10 to 25: A Groundbreaking Approach to Leading the Next Generation for Managers, Parents, and Educators."
05. David Yeager
On March 15, 2024, former Spurs basketball player David Robinson, Sr., San Antonio civic leader and urban developer David Robinson, Jr., and Kara Allen, Chief People, Impact and Belonging Officer for Spurs Sports & Entertainment, discussed the legacy of leadership at the Spurs organization.
06. David Robinson
The Holdsworth Teacher Retreat is a transformative, all-inclusive weekend experience designed to honor and rejuvenate Texas public school teachers. Held at the Campus on Lake Austin, the retreat offers educators a rare opportunity to step away from the demands of the classroom and focus on their own well-being.
Selected through a nomination process, teachers gather to enjoy wellness activities such as yoga, massage, meditation and workshops. The retreat fosters deep connection, creating a supportive community where teachers can reflect, recharge, and return to their schools with renewed energy and purpose.
Twice annual retreats are supported by annual sponsors: H-E-B, Clean Scapes, MFI Foundation, Raftelis, Frost Bank, A+ Federal Credit Union and O’Connell Robertson.