Texas Women's Foundation hosts its Leadership Forum & Awards Celebration on May 8, 2025, at the Omni Dallas Hotel (555. S. Lamar St., Dallas, TX 75202). A highlight is the Leadership Forum, presented by Merrill, a Bank of America Company/Crockett & Associates, where the 2025 Maura and Young Leader awardees will share insight and inspiration in micro-learning sessions from 4:00-5:30 p.m. Afterwards, there will be a cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner and an awards celebration, presented by Oncor Electric Delivery, at 6:30 p.m. Individual tickets are now on sale at https://txwf.org/join-us/events/lfac-event/.
Anne Talk: “Lead Bigger”
Presented by Anne Chow, The Rewired CEO Founder
In a “TED Talk-style” keynote, Chow will share insights from her recent book, Lead Bigger. She will also explore the transformative power of connectedness to create stronger businesses and more vibrant communities.
Power Panel: Women, Girls & STEM, moderated by TXWF Board Director Debra Hunter Johnson, Reciprocity Consulting and featuring:
2025 Maura Award recipients Bartkowski, Dr. DeSilva and Dr. Feyten will explore how increasing representation in STEM not only empowers women and girls, but it also drives innovation, enhances problem-solving and strengthens the entire sector.
Young Leader “5-in-5’s”
Haleigh Jones, Crawford, Wishnew & Lang Attorney
Cristal Retana Lule, Children’s Health Vice President of Community Relations
The 2025 Young Leader award recipients, Jones and Retana Lule will answer five “rapid-fire” questions in five minutes in interviews conducted by aspiring young journalists from Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School, a school in the Young Women’s Preparatory Network.
Real Talk with Anne Chow, moderated by Deborah Ferguson, NBC Anchor
Chow will discuss her journey to becoming AT&T’s first woman of color CEO, how she navigated that historic role, and what leadership lessons she learned.
Texas Women’s Foundation President and CEO Karen Hughes White said, “The heart of the Leadership Forum & Awards Celebration is getting to know our honorees and hear how they have learned and continued to grow in their careers and in service to their communities. I know you will be inspired, encouraged and empowered by their stories.”
Co-chairs for the event are business and community leaders Debbie Dennis, Chief Customer Officer and SVP Human Resources and Corporate Affairs at Oncor Electric Delivery, and Brooke Hopkins, Managing Director at Alvarez & Marsal. Dia Wall, WFAA anchor/reporter, will emcee the evening awards celebration.
To learn more about this event and purchase a sponsorship, visit https://txwf.org/join-us/events/lfac-event/ For those interested in sponsorship, contact Joy Busch at maura@txwf.orgor 214-525-5321.
About Texas Women’s Foundation: One of the largest women’s foundations in the country, Texas Women’s Foundation (TXWF) knows that now more than ever is the time to create more equitable communities to build #StrongWomenBetterWorld. TXWF raises funds from a broad base of donors, including individuals, foundations and corporations. These resources support more than $6 million in investments each year that advance economic security and leadership for Texas women and girls through research, advocacy, grantmaking and strategic/educational initiatives. Since its inception in 1985, TXWF has invested nearly $85 million in Texas women and girls. The Foundation’s statewide research on issues impacting Texas women and girls provides corporate, state and local decision-makers and lawmakers with critical data to inform policies, practices and programs across the state. Its advocacy, grantmaking and educational initiatives support solutions that help Texas women and girls survive and thrive. In addition, Texas Women’s Foundation is an acknowledged leader and advocate in the gender lens investing movement, deploying 100 percent of its invested assets – endowments, operating investments and donor-advised funds – in a gendered impact portfolio that yields strong financial returns and social benefits to women and girls. For more information, visit www.txwf.org, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram or donate now
About the Maura Women Helping Women Award:
For 46 years, the Maura Women Helping Women Award has been presented to more than 230 courageous individuals who have catalyzed change for women and girls.
Brenda Jackson, a former Maura Women Helping Women Award recipient and TXWF Board Director, and Carrie Freeman Parsons, TXWF Board Chair co-chaired the 2025 Award Selection Committee that chose the following honorees:
Cynt Marshall, Marshalling Resources Founder and The Dallas Mavericks (retired CEO)
Cynt Marshall has been a dynamic force in business over a 36-year career at AT&T. When she was hired as the CEO of the Dallas Mavericks in March 2018, she set her sights on a culture transformation. Her vision was for the Mavericks organization to become the NBA standard for inclusion, diversity, and workplace culture, and the Dallas Mavericks have twice received the NBA’s Inclusion Leadership award. She is founder of Marshalling Resources, a consulting firm. Her first book, You’ve Been Chosen, was released in September 2022 and was nominated for an NAACP Image award. Marshall is the recipient of several honors and awards including the 2024 Lone Star EMMYS President’s award, the 2024 Junior Achievement of Dallas Business Hall of Fame Laureate award, among others. She graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with degrees in Business Administration and Human Resources Management and holds four honorary Doctorate degrees.
Anne Chow, The Rewired CEO Founder
Anne Chow is a transformative business leader whose trailblazing corporate career spans over three decades. She is currently Lead Independent Director on the Board of Directors of Franklin Covey and serves on the boards of 3M and CSX. She is a Senior Fellow and Adjunct Professor of Executive Education at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and the national best-selling author of LEAD BIGGER: The Transformative Power of Inclusion. In her prior role as CEO of AT&T Business, she was the first woman of color CEO in AT&T’s 140+ year history, responsible for leading a $35B global operating unit comprised of over 35,000 people. Widely recognized for her role model leadership, Chow was named to Fortune’s Most Powerful Women in Business twice, Forbes inaugural CEO Next List of Leaders set to revolutionize American business and was inducted into the Dallas Business Hall of Fame.
Carine M. Feyten, Ph.D., Texas Woman’s University Chancellor and President
Since 2014, Carine M. Feyten, Ph.D. has served as chancellor of the Texas Woman’s University System and president of Texas Woman’s University, the nation’s largest university with a woman-focused mission. Spearheading the largest construction boom in the university’s history (nearly $500 million) and first ever comprehensive campaign, she has more than tripled the endowment, launched many major initiatives such as the Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership and the Doswell School of Aeronautical Sciences focusing on preparing women pilots. Personally, she is deeply committed to amplifying the impact that emerges from TWU’s distinctive campus where women comprise 90% of the student body. She has made strategic investments to extend the university’s mission to whole-person development. Her leadership fosters a supportive environment that prepares graduates to succeed in today’s complex global society. These efforts were recognized by the American Council on Education with the 2023 ACE/Fidelity Investments Award for Institutional Transformation.
Jennifer Bartkowski, Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas CEO
Jennifer Bartkowski is the Chief Executive Officer of Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas (GSNETX), having held multiple leadership roles over the last 15 years. She pioneered a national Girl Scout STEM initiative built on the success of the $15M STEM Center of Excellence in southwest Dallas to change the workforce pipeline for North Texas. She is now leading a transformational strategy to reimagine Girl Scouts to serve more girls in more communities in more inclusive ways. Bartkowski holds a Master of Public Administration from Texas A&M University and has worked with a variety of organizations including United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and the American Lung Association of Texas. She serves as Chair of the Leadership Dallas Alumnae Association and The Dallas Summit, Board Chair of Black Women in Nonprofit Leadership, sits on the Aggie Women Network Board of Directors, and is a founding board member of Carson’s Village.
Nirupama “Rupa” DeSilva, M.D., Parkland Health, UT Southwestern Medical Center Professor
Nirupama “Rupa” DeSilva, M.D. is a Professor of OBGYN at UT Southwestern. A specialist in pediatric-adolescent gynecology, her clinical practice is at Children’s Medical Center. Dr. DeSilva also serves as Parkland’s Medical Director of Family Planning and Child Poverty Action Lab’s Expert in Residence. Throughout her career, Dr. DeSilva has had great interest in increasing access to effective medical care within her community, as well as educating people about their reproductive needs so that patients can decide if a contraceptive option is best for them. In her role as Medical Director of Family Planning, she is dedicated to working with her team to increase access to women’s health for marginalized women through innovation. In this vein, she has created many new projects, including a new mobile van that can make access to contraception easier for those women who desire it.
About the Young Leader Award:
The Young Leader Award recognizes breakthrough leadership exhibited by a trailblazer who is achieving success in a field, initiative or sector, and creating a path of opportunity for other women to follow. This year’s recipients:
Haleigh Jones, Crawford, Wishnew & Lang Attorney
Haleigh Jones is an attorney practicing civil litigation in Dallas. She handles trials and appeals in high-stakes, commercial cases. She uses her law degree to effect positive change and advance the lives of women in Texas, most recently pursuing a school district for violations of Title IX that led to sexual abuse of a female minor student. Jones is a mentor in and servant of her local and state bar associations. She served as the president of the 2024 Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, a 2,500-member bar association with more than 30 committees whose two-fold mission is to improve the lives of young lawyers and to improve the DFW community. In 2021, the Dallas Women Lawyers Association recognized Jones as its “Rising Raggio.” The award, named after Louise Raggio, recognizes an outstanding young woman lawyer who has had significant professional accomplishment and acted as a leader in the Dallas community.
Cristal Retana Lule, Children’s Health Vice President of Community Relations
Cristal Retana Lule is committed to advancing equitable access to opportunities and resources to enhance the overall quality of life for all. As Vice President of Community Relations at Children’s Health, she leads the organization's community outreach initiatives also focusing on local and regional advocacy. Lule is a first-generation Texas and proud daughter of Mexican immigrants. She began her public policy career as a legislative staffer in the Texas Senate and has held several influential roles at both the state and local levels. She also served as Mayor Pro Tem for the City of Farmers Branch where she launched several initiatives including the city’s first night court, youth commission, senior repair program and more. Lule has received numerous accolades, including the 2024 League of Women Voters Volunteer Award, 2023 DFW Hispanic 100 Emerging Latina Leader Award and was recently appointed to serve as the 2025 state chair-elect for the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas.