Network 200: Meet the philanthropic leaders you need to know in North Texas

North Texas has long been a philanthropic region, with businesses and their leaders prioritizing charitable giving.

Some of that philanthropy includes high-profile names like Herb Weitzman, founder and executive chairman of real estate firm Weitzman, along with his wife Donna, donating $3 million to create the University of Texas at Dallas’ Herbert D. Weitzman Institute for Real Estate.

In addition, Rich Templeton, CEO of Texas Instruments (Nasdaq: TXN), with his wife Mary, this year committed $5 million to spur research at Southern Methodist University’s Lyle School of Engineering.

“This gift can mean the difference between advancing research or watching a good idea die on the vine,” Lyle Engineering Dean Marc Christensen said. “It allows us to recruit the most talented students and faculty, and enables them to lead the way in emerging areas of research.”

Local businesses are active with corporate giving. For Chili’s Grill & Bar, a brand owned by Brinker International (NYSE: EAT), that means raising millions of dollars for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital.

Pizza Hut, meanwhile, utilizes its national footprint to maximize its literacy efforts, which include its long-standing BOOK IT! program.

“Ultimately, when we look at the impact we can have in our communities, we want to see the communities we serve thriving and having a strong local economy,” said Natasha Collins, Pizza Hut’s manager of social impact.

But it’s not just local leaders and companies making a difference. North Texas is home to dozens of nonprofits tackling issues from animal welfare to equipping students with the skills they need to enter college and the workforce.

One example is Big Thought, which focuses on creativity to give schoolchildren the tools they need to navigate a rapidly changing job market.

“Jobs as we know it are either changing, being eliminated, or being created,” said Byron Sanders, president and CEO of the organization. “And the world is speeding up to the degree that we are becoming less apt, as the adults and educators, to predict what the world is going to look like even five years from now.”

With those factors in mind, the Dallas Business Journal is unveiling the ninth set of executives in its Network 200, highlighting leaders at local nonprofits and philanthropic organizations. They represent organizations ranging from medically focused charities to a nonprofit working to provide housing in Dallas.

These leaders were selected by the DBJ editorial staff because of the roles they’re playing at new, ground-breaking or ever-evolving businesses in their industries. The Network 200 are decision makers that are not only guiding the industry in a variety of verticals but are also accessible experts in their craft.

The Network 200 furthers the DBJ’s central mission: To help our readers strengthen their businesses and further their careers.

We invite you to read more about the leaders you need to know in North Texas’ nonprofit and philanthropic sector with the slideshow above.

 

View the full article by Dallas Business Journal.