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Partner Honored as First Person of Color to Serve as Chair of Board of Trustees
Capital Partner Glenn O. Lewis was recently honored at a reception recognizing his election as the first person of color to serve as chair of Texas Wesleyan University’s Board of Trustees. Lewis is a Texas Wesleyan alumnus and has served on the board since 2006.
Lewis will manage and provide leadership to the board as it transitions into the University’s new Engage 2025 strategic plan. Lewis succeeds Tim Carter, who was elected chair in 2017. 2017.
“It’s an honor to be able to positively impact the lives of the students attending Texas Wesleyan University,” Lewis said. “I look forward to working with the school and students to create positive change within our community and continue the legacy of Texas Wesleyan.”
“Texas Wesleyan’s mission is to facilitate success among all students from all backgrounds,” Texas Wesleyan University President Frederick G. Slabach wrote. “Glenn has been a critical component in that mission, and we are honored to have him serve as the new board chair. The impact he has had across Fort Worth and Tarrant County is immeasurable. As we look ahead to our new strategic plan, we are confident that Glenn will help Texas Wesleyan make an even greater impact with our students and in the community.”
Lewis is a member of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce. He is also chairman of the Tarrant County Civil Service Commission and a life member of the Fort Worth/ Tarrant County branch of the NAACP, where he served on its Board of Directors. In addition, he is on the board of Water from the Rock, Inc., and he has served as co-chair of the Public Policy Committee of The United Way of Tarrant County.
Local luminaries, including Tarrant County Commissioner Roy Brooks and Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker, praised his leadership and accomplishments at the reception. “The selection of Lewis represents great progress for Fort Worth and is a testament to Mr. Lewis’ leadership,” said Mayor Parker.
Texas Wesleyan University, originally called Polytechnic College, was founded in 1890 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The school held its first classes in September 1891 with 111 students. The Polytechnic College was designated the Woman’s College for Southern Methodism and eventually became Texas Woman’s College in 1914. Trustees voted to close the school in 1931 as the Depression took its toll on the nation. Then in 1935, a merger with Texas Wesleyan Academy in Austin allowed the school to remain open. Men were readmitted into the college following the merger.
Since then, the University has continued to grow, adding graduate programs in education in the 1970s and nurse anesthesia in the 1980s. The name Texas Wesleyan University was officially adopted in January 1989. The Texas Wesleyan University of Law was established in 1992. To reach a more diverse group of students, the University added the D.E. Hyde Weekend/ Evening Program in 1994. In 1997 the University established a campus in downtown Fort Worth. The Graduate Programs of Nurse Anesthesia has grown into the largest in the nation. The University remains closely affiliated with the United Methodist Church, and in keeping with Methodist tradition, welcomes students and faculty of all faiths and backgrounds. The University now has a total undergraduate enrollment of 1,480 (Fall 2020).
