The Holdsworth Center Hosts Inaugural Champions of Hope Gala This Spring — The First Award Goes to Dr. Ruth J. Simmons

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Temperatures are rising, flowers are blooming, spring is in the air… and that means one thing — philanthropy season is right around the corner. There’s one date that must immediately be saved: The Holdsworth Center’s inaugural Champions of Hope Gala on May 2 in Houston.

Hosted at The Corinthian in Houston, the event will shine a spotlight on Texas education leaders like Dr. Ruth J. Simmons who are making a positive impact on students’ lives and futures. Dr. Simmons will become the first recipient of an award created by The Holdsworth Center to honor her legacy as a groundbreaking leader, a powerful advocate for students, and a committed supporter of public education.

As founding board chair, Dr. Simmons has guided The Holdsworth Center from a small nonprofit with a handful of staff serving seven school districts to a statewide organization focused on leadership development that has impacted 1,500 leaders in 75 public school districts through multiple program offerings. 

Her support for The Holdsworth Center is rooted in the belief that with strong leaders, teachers and students thrive. And, that leadership is not a skill people are born with – it can be taught. She has often spoken of her work as paying forward the support she received from public school teachers in rural Grapeland and later in Houston ISD.

In future years, the organization’s award will be given to a leader – like Dr. Simmons – who has made significant contributions to public education, who elevates the people around them, and who models a spirit of service by stepping up to lead through times of great challenge. 

Dr. Simmons will be the inaugural recipient of this award, but being the “first” to do something isn’t new to her. Her story is full of firsts. Born to a sharecropping family outside of Houston, Simmons was the first in her family to go to college, to earn a Ph.D., to become a professor and university president. In 2001, she became the first African American to lead an Ivy League institution as president of Brown University. 

Throughout her life, Simmons has been a powerful advocate for young people. As president of Smith College, Simmons launched the first engineering program at a women’s college in the U.S. At Brown, she completed a record-breaking $1.4 billion campaign to enhance academic programs, including a $120 million gift – the largest single donation in the university’s history – devoted chiefly to student scholarships. Time magazine dubbed her the “Campus Crusader” and a “moral compass of the school she governs” based on her efforts to give more Black students from low-income areas a shot at an Ivy League education. 

Five years after retiring, Simmons agreed to take on the presidency of Prairie View A&M University – a historically Black university in Houston – at the urging of state leaders. During her tenure, scholarships increased and a $50 million donation from MacKenzie Scott increased the school’s endowment by 40 percent. After stepping down from Prairie View in 2023, Simmons became a President’s Distinguished Fellow at Rice University, which created a $1 million scholarship in her name. She serves on a presidential advisory board of historically Black colleges and universities, as well as The Holdsworth Center’s Board of Trustees. 

Her work to push for excellence and equity on behalf of students lives on through the Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice at Brown University and the Ruth J. Simmons Center for Race and Justice at Prairie View A&M University.

Save the date for Thursday, May 2. This is one inspiring event you don’t want to miss. Individual tickets, tables and sponsorships are available for purchase.