About Greater Texas Foundation

Vision

Greater Texas Foundation’s vision is for all Texas students to have equal opportunity to access and succeed in postsecondary education.

Mission

Greater Texas Foundation supports efforts to ensure all Texas students are prepared for, have access to, persist in, and complete postsecondary education. We put particular focus on helping underserved and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. We pursue our mission by forming partnerships, supporting research, sharing knowledge, and making grants.

History

Greater Texas Foundation is built on a long history of service to the students of Texas.

The organization from which Greater Texas Foundation evolved was founded in 1981 as the Greater East Texas Higher Education Authority. At the time, students borrowed from private lenders to pay for their higher education under the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP). Greater East Texas incentivized this practice by serving as a nonprofit secondary buyer for loans in southeast Texas and by providing information to schools and students about the FFELP. Over time, the organization grew, adding a loan servicing arm and acquiring a loan portfolio.

In 2001, the board elected to expand the organization’s charitable purpose by splitting it into two entities. Greater Texas Foundation would function as a public charity, while LoanSTAR Funding Group would hold the organization’s loan-related assets. In 2005, the foundation sold its stock in LoanSTAR and invested the proceeds to create an endowment. Over the next several years, the foundation awarded millions of dollars in grants to educational programs, particularly those focused on math and science.

Over time, the mission and strategy of Greater Texas Foundation evolved with an improved understanding of Texas students. Today, the foundation is guided by a five-year plan focused on specific goals and strategies to optimize our impact on students.

Board of Directors

Ralph Rushing
Chair

Dr. Samuel Gillespie
Vice Chair, Finance & Investment Committee Chair

Bill Youngkin
Secretary, Audit & Accountability Committee Chair

Dr. John Moss
Charitable Activities Committee Co-Chair

Dr. Alonzo Sosa
Charitable Activities Committee Co-Chair

Dr. Donald Thompson
Strategy & Learning Committee Chair

Judy Holt
Director

A.D. James, Jr.
Director

Dr. Terry Jones
Director

Advisors

Tina Gridiron
Advisor to the Strategy & Learning Committee

Janet Handley
Advisor to the Finance & Investment Committee

Dr. Mary Hendrix
Advisor to the Charitable Activities Committee

Jodi Jones
Advisor to the Audit & Accountability Committee

Staff

Sue McMillin
President & CEO

Nancy Mader
Office Manager

Erin Arnold
Senior Accountant

Amber Bass
Chief Financial Officer

Leslie Gurrola
Director of Programs & Strategy

Carol Miller
Director of Grants Management

Allison Pennington
Programs & Strategy Associate

Tessa Pennington
Project Associate

Chris Woodruff
Grants Management Associate

Student Assistants

Hailey Bruening

Laurel Kelley

Meredith Moore

Madison Springs