A Reflection from Dr. J. Cody Huie

Last summer, as my family was preparing to return to Texas and I was transitioning back into the Foundation, I had the privilege of spending two hours in conversation with Charles Butt. As with every meeting I have with him, I was struck by his humility and his genuine curiosity about and concern for the world and the people around him. For well over an hour, he asked me about my background, my beliefs, my hopes for public education, and the role the Charles Butt Foundation could play in supporting and strengthening schools, educators, children, families, and communities across Texas. Toward the end of the conversation, I asked Charles, “You seem to have a way of seeing around corners. How do you do that?” His response was simple: “Listen.” 

In my first six months as president of the Charles Butt Foundation, I have tried to follow that counsel. I have listened to our team, our board, our partners, and educational leaders across the state. Though the process of listening and learning will continue in the months ahead, this felt like the right time to share where the Foundation stands today, what we are working on, what we are learning, and how we are thinking about our next chapter. 

This is an inflection point for the Foundation. We recently experienced a transition in leadership. We are halfway through year eight of our ten-year initiative, Raising Texas Teachers. And we are engaged in a year-long process to develop a new strategic focus. Over these first six months, our work has centered on three things.

• Supporting one another through this transition and ensuring we deliver on our commitments with excellence. We are continuing important work through the Charles Butt Scholarship and Raising Texas Teachers. We are working to establish research-practice partnerships between regional universities and school districts across the state. We are building on what we learned through Raising Blended Learners through a partnership with the CA Group and the Moody Foundation focused on strengthening K-3 literacy support statewide. We are partnering with Houston Endowment on teacher pathway work. We are recruiting the second cohort of the Texas Teachers Collaborative, which supports rural teachers pursuing National Board Certification. And in 2027, we will publish our seventh annual Texas Teacher Poll.
• Reflecting on what the Foundation has learned over the past decade. That reflection has reinforced the importance of investing in educators and elevating the teaching profession, strengthening preparation pathways, grounding our work in research and evidence, and listening to those closest to the problems we seek to address. It has also made clear that durable improvement requires more than a promising program. It requires trusting relationships, shared purpose, a sustained focus on an issue, and the willingness to work across institutions and sectors to shift the beliefs, practices, and structures that shape outcomes.
• Engaging in a statewide listening and learning process. Over the past several months, we have held conversations with leaders at the Texas Education Agency, nonprofit leaders, education partners, and others working at the state, regional, and community levels. In the months ahead, this process will expand to include educators, families, community members, policymakers, and civic leaders to better understand the most urgent challenges facing children and communities, what aspirations people hold for Texas over the next decade, and what actions are needed now to begin moving toward those aspirations.

We are not ready to announce a final strategic direction. We are still learning, still listening, still reflecting with our board on how the Foundation can make the greatest impact in the next chapter. Even as the Foundation’s work evolves, our commitment to Texas children, educators, public education, and community partnership remains firm. The Foundation’s next chapter will be shaped by what we have learned, what Texans need now, and the future they aspire to make possible. 

We invite you to be part of our learning. If you are an educator, parent, student, community leader, policymaker, nonprofit partner, funder, or someone who cares deeply about the future of children and families in Texas, I hope you will share what you are seeing, what you are learning, and what you believe this moment requires. To share your thoughts or schedule a conversation, please complete the survey below.

We want to hear from you.

Thank you for your partnership, your trust, and your continued commitment to Texas children, families, educators, and communities. Leading this Foundation is an honor and a privilege. I look forward to working alongside you.

J. Cody Huie, President