2026: LeaderPrime Celebrates 10 Years!
February 27, 2026 | By LFWAs we celebrate the 10th anniversary of LeaderPrime, we’re proud to spotlight the incredible leaders who have shaped this program and our community. Over the past decade, LeaderPrime has welcomed executives and senior leaders who have deepened their connection to Fort Worth, strengthened their leadership, and committed to meaningful civic impact. This month, in honor of Black History Month, we highlighted several of our Black LeaderPrime alumni and the impact they continue to make across our city. Next month, we will continue this series by featuring women LeaderPrime alumni in recognition of Women’s History Month, celebrating the leaders who help move Fort Worth forward.
In February, in honor of Black History Month, we highlighted several of our Black LeaderPrime alumni and their impact across Fort Worth. Next month.
Leah King, President of the JPS Foundation and Board President of TRWD.
Share your professional role and its influence on Fort Worth.
I am a Partner at Long Game Consulting,where I advise executives, boards, and organizations on strategy, leadership alignment, and long-term institutional performance. My work in Fort Worth spans education, nonprofit governance, and community development, with a focus on strengthening systems that serve people well over time. Whether supporting school leaders, guiding boards through periods of transition, or helping organizations clarify direction and execution, my goal is to help Fort Worth institutions lead with purpose, accountability, and durability so our communities can thrive for generations.
Share some highlights from your LeaderPrime experience and any core takeaways that have stayed with you?
LeaderPrime expanded my understanding of leadership beyond title or authority and grounded it firmly in responsibility to place. One of the most meaningful aspects of the experience was building relationships with leaders across sectors and seeing just how interconnected our city truly is. As a Fort Worth native, the program also deepened my understanding of the city’s history and how the vestiges of that history show up in our work every day. LeaderPrime helped me make connections, both relational and contextual, that my experiences and professional associations would not have naturally afforded me. That broader historical lens has shaped how I understand the challenges we face and the role relational capital plays in either reinforcing barriers or serving as a powerful catalyst for solutions.
This being the 10-year anniversary of LeaderPrime, can you share what your belief is about it’s value to executive leaders new to their role or new to Fort Worth?
LeaderPrime offers value to leaders at every stage, whether they are seasoned executives, leaders new to Fort Worth, or those navigating transitions into expanded responsibility. The program provides essential historical, civic, and relational context that leaders cannot gain from their organizations alone. More importantly, it reinforces that leadership carries responsibility beyond one’s role or institution. LeaderPrime helps executives see themselves as community stewards, builds a trusted peer network, and deepens understanding of how history, relationships, and influence shape decision-making across the city.
What advice can you give next generation leaders who want to deepen their community trusteeship?
Start by showing up consistently and listening more than you speak. Community trusteeship is built through relationships, credibility, and follow-through, not visibility alone. Take time to learn the history of the places you serve and honor the people who carried the work before you. Understand both the pace and the price of progress, and be honest about the tradeoffs meaningful change requires. Finally, lead for the long game. Ask not only what you can accomplish during your tenure, but what you can strengthen so the community is better positioned long after you move on.
Ty is a highly regarded trial attorney who leads Varghese Summersett’s Personal Injury Division.
Share your professional role and its influence on Fort Worth.
As Dean of the TCU AddRan College of Liberal Arts, I work to strengthen connections between the institution and the community by fostering partnerships, developing meaningful programming, and advancing innovative academic programs that promote critical thinking aligned with workforce needs. Through service-learning initiatives and internships, we create a positive impact in Fort Worth and beyond while equipping our students with the skills and experience needed for future success.
Share some highlights from your LeaderPrime experience and any core takeaways that have stayed with you?
I thoroughly enjoyed meeting with past and present city leaders who offered an up-close, personal perspective on what makes the city truly authentic.
This being the 10-year anniversary of LeaderPrime, can you share what your belief is about it’s value to executive leaders new to their role or new to Fort Worth?
LeaderPrime is a powerful resource for executive leaders who are new to their roles or new to Fort Worth. It provides a firsthand look at what makes Fort Worth such a dynamic city, connects participants with influential community leaders, and highlights the vital role relationships play in Cowtown.
What advice can you give next generation leaders who want to deepen their community trusteeship?
Get engaged early, often, and everywhere. It’s all about relationships.
Charles Williams is the President of Baylor Scott & White Health Dallas-Fort Worth – West Region and Baylor Scott & White – Fort Worth
Dr. Emily W. Messer, Texas Wesleyan University’s 21st President and its first female leader, is a distinguished educator, visionary and advocate for academic excellence.
Share your professional role and its influence on Fort Worth.
Julie Butner serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Tarrant Area Food Bank (TAFB), one of the largest hunger-relief organizations in North Texas and serving one of the fastest-growing metropolitan regions in the United States. Under her leadership, the food bank supports 13 counties and works with more than 500 community partners to distribute over one million nutritious meals each week to neighbors facing food insecurity.
Julie stepped into the CEO role just three months before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and led TAFB through one of the most challenging periods in its history. Confronted with an 80% surge in need, Julie guided the organization in doubling the volume of food procured and processed, achieving record distribution levels that continue today in response to population growth. Her strategic leadership has strengthened TAFB’s operational capacity, community reach, and long-term resilience.
A forward-thinking and mission-driven leader, Julie has championed innovative strategies to advance the food bank’s vision to alleviate hunger and improve health. She has expanded and diversified the organization’s donor base, developed major healthcare partnerships, and significantly increased TAFB’s community resource offerings. Among the most notable accomplishments of her tenure are the openings of four new facilities that have transformed the food bank’s regional impact:
• Sid W. Richardson Agricultural Hub – a regional center dedicated to produce aggregation and distribution
• Ready to Learn Resource Center – a child- and family-focused community resource hub
• TAFB West (Parker County) and TAFB North (Denton County) – new satellite branches expanding service reach and local engagement.
Julie holds leadership and advisory roles with numerous organizations, including Feeding America’s Board of Directors, Feeding Texas Board of Directors, Texas Christian University’s Chancellor’s Advisory Committee and Nutritional Sciences Advisory Board, Rotary, Colonial Country Club Board of Governors, Charles Schwab Challenge Executive Women’s Day, Delta Gamma Fraternity, Fort Worth Sister Cities, and The Cowtown Marathon.
Share some highlights from your LeaderPrime experience and any core takeaways that have stayed with you?
LeaderPrime was a really meaningful experience for me. Some core takeaways include:
- Behind-the-scenes exposure to Fort Worth’s systems — getting a closer look at how key sectors (local government, education, public safety, healthcare, business, and nonprofits) actually operate and intersect.
- Meeting leaders across industries — the relationships and candid conversations were some of the most valuable parts. It broadened my perspective on how people approach problem-solving in very different roles.
- Learning about community needs in a more holistic way — everything is connected. The challenges we work on aren’t isolated — they’re part of a larger ecosystem. That mindset has helped me think more strategically about solutions and partnerships. Collaboration is essential, not optional. Real progress happens when organizations stop operating in silos and build trust across sectors.
Overall, LeaderPrime strengthened my commitment to community-based work and reinforced how important it is to lead with both strategy and empathy.
This being the 10-year anniversary of LeaderPrime, can you share what your belief is about it’s value to executive leaders new to their role or new to Fort Worth?
I believe LeaderPrime provides accelerated understanding the civic landscape, informal influence networks, and the interdependencies across sectors. LeaderPrime compresses what might otherwise take years to learn into a structured, relationship-driven experience.
Share your professional role and its influence on Fort Worth.
Mary-Margaret Lemons is the president of Fort Worth Housing Solutions. FWHS provides quality affordable housing to the community and resources for residents to become self sufficient. We change lives through stable housing and set families up to thrive.
Share some highlights from your LeaderPrime experience and any core takeaways that have stayed with you?
The LeaderPrime experience allowed me to make meaningful connections in the community. The time spent allowed for me to find mission aligned leaders who help problem solve, are thought partners and move Fort Worth forward.
This being the 10-year anniversary of LeaderPrime, can you share what your belief is about it’s value to executive leaders new to their role or new to Fort Worth?
Whether you are a lifelong resident or new to the city, LeaderPrime is an opportunity to understand how the community works together and who the go-to people are to make things happen. By getting a history of our community you are able to better steer the future of your organization.
What advice can you give next generation leaders who want to deepen their community trusteeship?
Say yes and show up. Listen more than you talk. Fort Worth is still a city where a handshake means something.
Share your professional role and its influence on Fort Worth.
I am privileged to lead a foundation that is dedicated to helping generous North Texans invest in the community we all love. The Foundation’s outstanding Board of Directors guides our work, ensuring that we help our fundholders achieve real impact on the causes that matter the most to them and make a lasting impact on our community. Last year, thanks to our fundholders’ generosity, the foundation granted $67 million to our community.
Share some highlights from your LeaderPrime experience and any core takeaways that have stayed with you?
I participated in LeaderPrime shortly after becoming CEO. The speakers were fantastic, providing excellent history and context about the community we are so privileged to serve. But my favorite memories are of the friendships forged over the course of our time together. I connected with a group of exceptional leaders from many different verticals who were also stepping into new roles. That shared experience helped us build trust pretty quickly.
This being the 10-year anniversary of LeaderPrime, can you share what your belief is about it’s value to executive leaders new to their role or new to Fort Worth?
Fort Worth is a relationship driven city. In a relatively brief amount of time, LeaderPrime provided me with a master class in Fort Worth history and up-to-date intel on local dynamics that could help us all better understand the local market we serve. Instead of spending months trying to navigate the landscape on my own, LeaderPrime accelerated the process of becoming part of the community.
What advice can you give next generation leaders who want to deepen their community trusteeship?
When you step up to serve Fort Worth, the rewards you reap personally and professionally will astound you.
Dr. Rachel Capua is the Vice President of External Operations & Dean of Tarleton State Fort Worth.
