Community Leaders
Leadership is a key driving force behind a successful community. Through various endeavors, these residents have helped lead the Park Cities and Preston Hollow to the prosperous communities they are today.
Melinda Gates
Dallas native and Ursuline Academy alum Melinda Gates has made her mark in philanthropy and global development through her work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2016, President Barack Obama presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work.
Nancy Goodman Brinker
After her sister, Susan, died from breast cancer at the age of 36, Brinker established a nonprofit dedicated to fighting the disease. Susan G. Komen is the largest breast cancer fighting organization in the United States. Brinker also served as an ambassador to Hungary during the President George W. Bush administration.
Annette Strauss
The second female mayor of Dallas served consecutive, two-year terms between 1987 and 1991. She presided over the racially divisive realignment of the City Council into single-member districts. Before running for office, she worked on behalf of a number of local organizations, including the United Way, Crystal Charity Ball, the Dallas Symphony, and SMU. The Annette Strauss Artist Square in downtown Dallas is named in her honor.
Jennifer Staubach Gates
An Ursuline graduate and daughter of a Dallas Cowboys legend, Gates has represented District 13 in the Dallas City Council since 2013. She chairs the budget, finance and audit committee, and also the domestic violence task force. The grandmother of two has been married to John Gates for more than 30 years.
Clay Jenkins
A rare Democrat in a Republican-dominated area, the two-term county judge was first elected in 2010, and garnered national attention for his role in overseeing the response to Dallas’ 2014 Ebola virus scare. A lawyer by trade, Jenkins also serves as president of the firm Jenkins & Jenkins.
Ruth Sharp Altshuler
Universally recognized as one of Dallas’ most important philanthropists, Altshuler is the longest serving member of SMU’s board of trustees, and also serves on the Salvation Army’s DFW Command Advisory Board.
