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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 February 24, leaders from across Houston gathered at the Junior League for a special Place the Ladder event featuring Dr. Ruth Simmons – Holdsworth’s founding board chair – in conversation with Dr. Lindsay Whorton about her new book, “A New School Leadership Architecture.”
01. Lindsay Whorton
At a Place the Ladder event on Feb. 11, 2026, Holdsworth President Dr. Lindsay Whorton sat down with Dr. Robert Gates—former U.S. Secretary of Defense and current Chair of the Holdsworth Center Board—to talk about leadership, public service and the role schools play in preparing young people for the world they’re entering.
02. Robert Gates
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.
03. 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.
04. 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.
05. 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.
06. Spence / Dintersmith
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.