Texas Women’s Foundation is blazing a trail for its “legacy of inclusion” with its 47-member board that makes up one of the most diverse and powerful in the Dallas-Fort Worth region.

Dallas-based Texas Women’s Foundation (TXWF) today announced eight new board members set to serve three-year terms from 2020-2023. It also named Hilda Galvan as chair elect.

Galvan is currently the partner-in-charge at Jones Day, an international law firm. She has served on TXWF’s board since 2016, co-chairing the Economic Leadership Council and the Leadership Forum & Awards Dinner along the way.

Shonn Brown, TXWF’s current board chair, lauded the Foundation’s legacy in a statement. She recognizes that it was built on dedication to equity and a deep commitment to ending injustice. The 501(c)(3) organization is known for “Transforming Texas for Women and Girls” by empowering them to build stronger, more equitable communities since its founding in 1985. 

As one of the world’s largest women’s foundations, TXWF raises funds from its breadth of donors, including individuals, foundations, and corporations. According to TXWF, these resources represent more than $7 million in annual investments that support advancements in economic security and leadership for Texas-based women and girls.

In February, TXWF announced that its “gender lens” investment strategy led to 100 percent of its financial assets being invested in a 100 percent gendered impact portfolio. This yielded strong financial returns and social benefits to women and girls—and led to TXWF being the first and only women’s fund or foundation to move its assets into gendered impact.

Then, in June, TXWF released the findings of its Economic Issues for Women in Texas 2020 report, which examines the economic status of Texas women in regard to gender, race, and ethnicity. It showed that women make up half the population in the state—a significant part of the workforce—but still face challenges in regards to economic security.

TXWF’s mission is especially timely amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and national movement against racial inequality. As chair, Brown said she is proud of what TXWF has so far achieved, but knows there is “so much more to do” as the organization continuously advocates for gender and racial equity.

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Brown welcomes Galvan and the new members happily.

“Our history speaks volumes—from the racial, cultural, ethnic and social diversity of our founders, to the fact that today our board is 49 percent and our staff 53 percent women of color and LGBTQ,” she said in a statement. “We’re here to support the magnificent work of TXWF on behalf of women and girls, and to use our power, influence, voice and resolve to advance equity for all.”

The new TXWF directors are:

• Avery Belyeu, Regional Director, South Central Region Lambda Legal
• Darcy Cowell, Principal, EY
• Sakina Foster, Partner, Haynes and Boone, LLP
• Melissa Orth, President and CEO, The Legacy Senior Communities
• Gwen Parker, Community Leader and Volunteer
• Holly Reed, Principal and Practice Leader, U.S. Advocacy Services Practice, Ryan
• Gowri Sharma, Co-Owner, Top Pot Donuts
• Julia Simon, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, Mary Kay

And the executive committee members are:

• Chair: A. Shonn Brown, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Kimberly-Clark
• Chair Elect: Hilda Galvan, Partner-in-Charge, Jones Day
• President & CEO: Roslyn Dawson Thompson, President & CEO, Texas Women’s Foundation
• Programs Committee Chair: Bonner Allen, Community Volunteer
• Secretary: Cheryl Alston, Executive Director and CIO, Employees’ Retirement Fund of the City of Dallas
• Member-At-Large: Stacey Doré, CEO, Sharyland Utilities, L.L.C.
• Investment Advisory Chair: Bev Goulet, Retired, American Airlines
• Advocacy Chair: Betsy Healy, Associate Director, Harold Simmons Foundation
• Treasurer/Finance Chair: Michelle Hudson, Principal, Hudson Peters Commercial
• Member-At-Large: Debra Hunter Johnson, President/Owner, Reciprocity Consulting
• Governance Committee Chair: Lisa Montgomery, Owner and Creative Director, Luxe Events
• Member-At-Large: Laura Nieto, Director, Community Outreach, Southwest Airlines
• Member-At-Large: Charmaine Tang, Executive Director, J.P. Morgan

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