University of Texas at El Paso President Diana Natalicio has been appointed to the board of The Holdsworth Center, a premier leadership institute based in Austin, Texas with the goal of supporting and developing public school leaders in order to improve education in Texas.
The Holdsworth Center was founded by Charles Butt, the chairman and CEO of Texas supermarket chain H-E-B, who has pledged to invest more than $100 million in the center’s creation. The center’s 17-member board also includes chairperson Ruth Simmons, who served as president of Smith College from 1995 to 2001 and as president of Brown University from 2001 to 2012; and Robert M. Gates, chancellor of the College of William & Mary, former secretary of defense and director of the CIA.
“I am honored to join this group of distinguished leaders who share a strong belief in the importance of public education as the foundation of our democracy,” Natalicio said. “Charles Butt’s major commitment toward the establishment of the Holdsworth Center underscores both his deep and sustained confidence in our public school system and the students it serves, and his determination to ensure excellence in the preparation of leadership that will be critical to its continued success.”
The Holdsworth Center will work with districts over a five-year period to empower individual leaders – including superintendents, principals and key administrators – to reach their fullest potential. The center staff and faculty also will assist districts in establishing a common vision and roadmap for identifying, cultivating and supporting future leaders.