SECTIONS
Dr. Tiffanie Spencer of Mansfield ISD, Dr. Jason Adams of Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, Dr. Courtney Morawski of Granbury ISD and Dr. Shannon Luis of Brock ISD are among 24 Texas superintendents selected for the 2026 cohort of The Holdsworth Center’s Superintendent Leadership Program, an 18-month learning experience designed to help leaders navigate a complex and demanding role. Together, the cohort serves nearly 235,000 students across the state.
The prestigious 18-month initiative prepares Texas superintendents for the evolving demands of their role. It equips leaders with the skills and strategies needed to foster transformational change in their districts and drive positive outcomes for students, staff and communities.
“The diverse skills needed to be an effective superintendent are comparable to a Fortune 500 CEO, but the job doesn’t come with the same opportunities to study the tenets of great leadership or work with an experienced coach,” said Dr. Lindsay Whorton, president of The Holdsworth Center. “We are filling that gap with high-quality programming and connections that help superintendents stay in the seat longer and thrive while they are leading.”
Superintendents attend learning sessions with faculty from education, business, government and academia at Holdsworth’s Campus on Lake Austin. Between sessions, they apply what they learn on the job and reflect with an executive coach, a Holdsworth superintendent-in-residence who has sat in the same chair. Holdsworth covers the cost of programming thanks to the generosity of its founder and other philanthropic supporters.
Many alumni describe the support from peers, just-in-time learning and on-call relationship with their coach as a lifeline that helped them get through the rocky first months and go from “surviving to thriving.”
As a result, a greater percentage of them stayed in the role, a factor that research shows supports students' success: 86 percent of superintendents who completed the program have stayed in the role over the past four years compared to 60 percent of their non-Holdsworth counterparts.
The 2026 Superintendent Leadership Program Cohort includes an outstanding group of leaders from across Texas:
Dr. Adrian Bustillos, San Antonio ISD
Dr. Alicia Press, Angleton ISD
Dr. Andru Gilbert, Troy ISD
Dr. Angeles Perez, Huffman ISD
Anthony Jarrett, North East ISD
Brandon Dennard, Pittsburg ISD
Dr. Chris Chappotin, Rio Vista ISD
Dr. Courtney Morawski, Granbury ISD
Dr. Elaine Howard, Sharyland ISD
Herbert O'Neil, Hempstead ISD
Dr. Jason Adams, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD
Dr. Josie Gutierrez, Connally ISD
Dr. Kristi Lee, Bastrop ISD
Dr. Mareka Austin, Premont ISD
Dr. Molley Ealy, Smithville ISD
Dr. Shannon Luis, Brock ISD
Dr. Stacy Parker, Monahans-Wickett-Pyote ISD
Dr. Teri Capistran, Point Isabel ISD
Dr. Tiffanie Spencer, Mansfield ISD
Dr. Todd Davis, Shepherd ISD
Travis Fanning, Huntsville ISD
Travis Motal, Liberty Hill ISD
Dr. Travis Young, Dayton ISD
Dr. Venus Vela, Brooks County ISD
Mansfield, Texas, is a booming city, nestled between Fort Worth and Dallas, but with a personality all its own. The city’s 76,247 citizens enjoy an award-winning school district, vibrant economy, historic downtown, prize-winning park system and community focus spread across 37 square miles. The Mansfield Record is dedicated to reporting city and school news, community happenings, police and fire news, business, food and restaurants, parks and recreation, library, historical archives and special events. The city’s only online newspaper launched in September 2020 and will offer introductory advertising rates for the first three months at three different rates.
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The Mansfield Record is the only local newspaper serving Mansfield, Texas. Established in 2020, the Mansfield Record is bringing the focus back where it should be.
