DALLAS, August 21, 2017 – Dallas Women’s Foundation has named Caren K. Lock as its 2017-2019 board chair.  Lock, who will serve a two-year term, succeeds 2015-2017 chair Ellenore Knight Baker. Previously, Lock served on the Foundation’s executive committee, and she has chaired the Advocacy Committee. She is also a founding member of The Orchid Giving Circle at Dallas Women’s Foundation, a group of Asian women pooling resources to provide community grants that support social change and services for North Texas Asians.

The Foundation also announced new board members, who will serve three-year terms 2017-2020.  They are: Bonner Allen, Community Volunteer; Bonnie Clinton, General Manager, Team Member Services and Indirect Procurement, CPO, Toyota; Teresa Giltner, Member, Dykema Cox Smith; Keri Kaiser, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Children’s Health; Laura Nieto, Director, Community Affairs & Grassroots, Southwest Airlines; Carrie Freeman Parsons, Vice Chair, The Freeman Company; Elizabeth Carlock Phillips, Executive Director, Phillips Foundation; Priya Bhola Rathod, Agency Account Manager, Indeed; Diane Reeves, Creative Director, Love Peace and Stones; Zeenat Sidi, Senior Vice President, Capital One; Karen Simon, Vice Chairman, Investment Banking, JPMorgan Chase & Co.; and Shawna Wilson, Vice President, Sales, Frito Lay. For a complete board list, visit https://www.dallaswomensfdn.org/2016/why-us/board.

Roslyn Dawson Thompson, Foundation president and CEO, said, “We so appreciate Ellenore’s leadership as board chair.  She is a dedicated advocate for our mission, and her passion and enthusiasm are contagious. We’re grateful that Caren brings her formidable talents and deep commitment to continue moving us forward toward our ambitious goals. We are also very pleased to welcome our new board members, who bring a wealth of talents and experience that will contribute greatly to this exciting time in our history.”

During Baker’s tenure as chair, Dallas Women’s Foundation made great strides in its Unlocking Leadership Campaign to raise $50 million to improve the future of North Texas by investing in the economic security and leadership potential of women and girls.

Dawson Thompson added, “We’re thrilled to announce that the total raised to date is $37.7 million. Under Caren’s leadership, we will be working hard to complete the campaign, and ask everyone who supports our mission to consider giving a gift to help achieve our goals of ensuring equity for women and girls.”

Caren K. Lock is the Regional Vice President and Associate General Counsel of TIAA-CREF. In her role, she is the primary interface for the company on all legislative, executive, administrative and regulatory matters in the southwest region. She also directs all legislative lobbying and regulatory advocacy in her states. At the company, Lock is active in gender and racial diversity initiatives, and was the former Corporate Co-Chair of the Women’s Employee Resource Group. TIAA-CREF is a $523 billion full-service financial services group of companies that has dedicated itself to helping those in the academic, medical, cultural and research fields for over 90 years.

Prior to joining TIAA-CREF, Lock was General Counsel with a consumer financial company in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Previously, she spent more than a decade litigating complex business matters including copyright and trademark infringement, employment discrimination, shareholder and partnership disputes, aviation and toxic tort.

Lock is a member of The Dallas Assembly and former Board member of CNM Connect in Dallas, where she currently serves on the Advisory Board. She is a member of the Founders Board of the University of North Texas School of Law.  She has also served on the Boards of the Dallas Bar Association, State of Texas Asian Pacific Interest Section, and was President and former Board member of the Dallas Asian American Bar Association. From 2006 to 2013, Lock served on the Texas State Bar Grievance Panel and was Chair of her panel.

For those interested in donating to the campaign, contact Shawn Wills, Dallas Women’s Foundation senior vice president of development, at swills@dallaswomensfoundation.org or 214.525.5318.

Dallas Women’s Foundation announced updates to its Unlocking Leadership Campaign by establishing a new recognition level, the Leadership Key Club, for those who have contributed $100,000 or more. In addition, $35 million has been raised to date. The announcements were made at a dinner hosted by Ashlee and Chris Kleinert, who serve as campaign co-chairs along with Paula and Ron Parker and Trea and Richard Yip.

In 2013, Dallas Women’s Foundation began the Unlocking Leadership Campaign to raise $50 million to improve the future of North Texas by investing in the economic security and leadership potential of women and girls.

Campaign Co-Chair Ashlee Kleinert said that the campaign was launched so that the Dallas Women’s Foundation, which is the largest regional funder of programs for women and girls in the world, would be in a better position to take greater action for all women and girls moving forward.

“The future of North Texas is directly tied to the economic security and potential of leadership of women and girls in our community,” she said. “It’s impossible to create a brighter future for North Texas communities without focusing specifically on the current condition, immediate needs and potential of women of all ages and backgrounds.”

Although the campaign was launched in 2013, the announcement of the Leadership Key Club’s formation is only the second time that the Dallas Women’s Foundation has made a public campaign status announcement. The first one was issued at the Foundation’s Annual Luncheon last year, when campaign leadership announced that $32 million had been raised to date.

“Since the luncheon, we’ve raised an additional $3 million, which is absolutely wonderful,” added Kleinert. “More than 4,000 generous donors have stepped up during what we consider to be the initial ‘quiet phase’ of the campaign, which is both humbling and exciting. Now that we’re past the campaign’s halfway mark, we want to motivate and inspire other community members to follow their example and help us cross the finish line in the near future.”

Funds from the Unlocking Leadership Campaign are earmarked for the Foundation’s primary focus areas – women’s economic security and women’s leadership.  The Economic Security Initiative aims to strengthen the economic security of 16,000 women and girls by 2021, and to date, has already reached more than 8,750 women and girls. The campaign’s Leadership Initiative aims to provide 60,000 women and girls with leadership training and opportunities, and thus far has reached nearly 28,000 women and girls through grant-making and programs.

Roslyn Dawson Thompson, Dallas Women’s Foundation president and chief executive officer, said, “An investment in this campaign is an investment to ensure that girls and women are on equal footing, which is especially important since Texas women live in poverty at a higher rate than men: only 30 percent of North Texas households are led by women, but 53 percent of all poor households are women-led. Our mission is as important today as it has ever been: Dallas Women's Foundation invests in women and girls and empowers women's philanthropy to build a better world. When their lives are transformed, our region and economy are transformed, and that is the ripple effect we seek to achieve.”

A special thanks to the Leadership Key Club members:

Ellenore and Kirk Baker

Lucy and Henry Billingsley

Cecilia and Garrett Boone

Kalita and Ed Blessing

Erin and Bob Botsford

Jill and Jim Cochran

Serena and Tom Connelly

Ka and L.L. Cotter

Peggy Simmons Dear

Kaleta A. Doolin and Alan Govenar

Lauren Embrey

Julie and Bob England

Beverly Goulet

Trish Houck and Lyssa Jenkens

Heather L. Hunt

Nancy Ann and Ray Hunt

Ashlee and Chris Kleinert

Sarah and Alan Losinger

Anne Knight

Ann E. and Fred Margolin

Maribess and Jerry Miller

Retta Miller

Toni Muñoz-Hunt and Dan Hunt

Diane S. Paddison

Paula and Ron Parker

Betty S. Regard

Lisa and Matt Rose

Janice and Michael Sharry

Lisa K. Simmons

Sue and Paul Spellman

Betty and Stephen Suellentrop

Roslyn Dawson Thompson and Rex W. Thompson

Patricia A. Vaughan and Barbara S. Turner

Martha and Max Wells

Donna M. Wilhelm

Shawna D. Wilson

Trea and Richard Yip

In addition to the Unlocking Leadership Campaign co-chairs Ashlee and Christopher Kleinert, Paula and Ron Parker, and Trea and Richard Yip, the Campaign Cabinet members are Ellenore Knight Baker, Kalita Beck Blessing, Julie S. England, Hilda C. Galvan, Caren K. Lock, Janie Strauss McGarr, Maribess, Lehmann Miller, Retta A. Miller and Janice V. Sharry.

For those interested in donating to the campaign, contact Shawn Wills, Dallas Women’s Foundation senior vice president of development, at swills@dallaswomensfoundation.org or 214.525.5318.

Dallas Women’s Foundation is the largest regional women’s fund in the world. It is a trusted leader in advancing positive social and economic change for women and girls. The Foundation was built on the belief that when you invest in a woman, there is a ripple effect that benefits her family, her community and her world. Dallas Women’s Foundation has researched, funded and demonstrated the ripple effect since 1985 in North Texas, granting more than $32 million since inception and $4.4 million annually to help create opportunities and solve issues for women and girls. With the support of its donors, the Foundation unlocks resources to improve education and quality of life, give voice to issues affecting women and girls, and cultivate women leaders for the future. For more information, visit www.DallasWomensFdn.org, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram.

Dallas Women’s Foundation and the Junior League of Dallas (JLD) are hosting hundreds of girls ages 11 to 15 at #BestSelf 2017 on April 29 at Southern Methodist University’s Hughes-Trigg Student Center. A program of Dallas Women’s Foundation’s Leadership Initiative, #BestSelf teaches young women leadership skills, healthy conflict resolution and more, so that they embrace and become their “best selves.” The Foundation’s Leadership Initiative is committed to advancing and increasing the number of women and girls in leadership positions by presenting forums, publishing the voices of women leaders and producing targeted research advocating for women’s leadership.

This year’s event is organized in partnership with the Junior League of Dallas, an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers, as part of its 95^th anniversary.

Bonner Allen, JLD president, said, "BestSelf is a special way to celebrate our 95^th anniversary, as a wonderful reflection of our mission. It is also a demonstration of Dallas Women's Foundation's ripple effect:  the Foundation not only has invested in the Junior League of Dallas and our members for years, but provided this opportunity for us to invest together in the lives of hundreds of girls. The JLD takes great pride in working in partnership with the Foundation on this very meaningful event."

The keynote speaker and emcee is Shanterra McBride, founder of Marvelous University, which offers life coaching and success planning for young people and specializes in leadership development for girls and young women. A popular speaker, she is the author of “Love Your Jiggle: The Girl’s Guide to Being Marvelous.” A native Dallasite, McBride is a first generation college graduate who received two degrees from SMU and a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University.

The day includes informative breakout sessions, a tour of SMU and other fun, such as jam sessions. In addition to sessions for the girls, #BestSelf includes sessions for parents and educators, such as how to navigate through difficult situations and how to encourage girls learning about decision-making, as well as how to support their emotional well-being, so that they grow up into strong, confident young women.

Roslyn Dawson Thompson, Dallas Women’s Foundation president and CEO, said, “We envision an equitable society where women and girls are full participants, and we developed #BestSelf as a way to help equip girls with practical skills they need to resolve conflict, learn more about themselves and develop as leaders. It is exciting to hold the event this year in partnership with the Junior League of Dallas, which is itself such a force in leadership development for women throughout our community.”

Dallas Women’s Foundation and Junior League of Dallas are embarking on a social media campaign to promote, share and educate young girls about being their best selves by encouraging them to use the hashtag #bestself and to share positive messages that focus on their unique talents, interests, goals and dreams—their best selves—on their social media channels.

To register, visit https://www.dallaswomensfdn.org/file/2017-BestSelf-Information-and-Scholarship-Form.pdf.

About Dallas Women’s Foundation:

Dallas Women’s Foundation is the largest regional women’s fund in the world. With the support of its donors, the Foundation unlocks resources to advance women’s economic security and women’s leadership through research, grantmaking and advocacy. The Foundation’s work improves education and quality of life, gives voice to issues affecting women and girls, and cultivates women leaders for the future. Since its founding in 1985, Dallas Women’s Foundation has granted more than $32 million total, and over $4.2 million annually to help create opportunities and solve issues for women and girls. For more information, visit www.dallaswomensfdn.org/, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter. 

About the Junior League of Dallas:

The Junior League of Dallas cultivates leaders who collectively address the critical needs of the community. Founded in 1922 and now in its 95th year, the JLD is the largest Junior League in the world, as well as the largest and oldest training organization for women in Dallas. Active members range in age from 22 to 49 with nearly 75 percent of women employed outside of the home. The JLD provides leadership opportunities to over 5,000 women each year through more than 26,000 cumulative hours of experiential and formal training. Uniquely member-run, the JLD provides over 100,000 hours in volunteer service and $1 million in funding to area nonprofits each year. For more information, please visit www.jld.net or Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.     

Although women in Texas have made great strides over the last decades, there is still more that can be done to close the gaps and ensure they reach their full potential, particularly with low-income women. That’s what was reported when Dallas Women’s Foundation (DWF) unveiled findings from its Economic Issues for Women in Texas 2017 report, which highlights the four critical building blocks necessary for women to achieve economic security – education, child care, health insurance and housing. The report examines the economic status of Texas women through a lens of gender, race and ethnicity; looks at policies and practices at the state level; and identifies areas of opportunity where innovation and investment can help women and their families move from surviving to thriving.

In separate events in Dallas and Houston hosted at Texas Woman’s University (TWU) campuses, DWF President and CEO Roslyn Dawson Thompson and TWU Chancellor Carine Feyten led panel discussions of the jointly sponsored new research, and discussed steps that can be taken to address the economic challenges outlined in the report. 

Thompson said, “Of the 14 million females in Texas, 17 percent live in poverty, compared to 14 percent of men and boys. Our goal is that this study will lay out the challenges, solutions and what we’ve accomplished so far in education, child care, health insurance and housing, so that community leaders, officials, nonprofit organizations, businesses and donors will work together to improve economic security for Texas women.”

She added, “When women are financially secure, families and communities are strong and stable. When women are healthy and well-educated, their strength creates a positive ripple effect for their families and communities. Investing in women makes for a stronger Texas economy.”

Each building block focuses on the most significant key findings and recommendations, but the full report details each area in depth.

Education: A Pathway to Economic Security

Education is a pathway to economic security, yet financial insecurity creates challenges that make it less likely for low-income female students to complete a higher education degree or credential.

Some key findings:

• Hispanic women (25 percent) and Black women (34 percent) have much lower rates of higher education attainment than White (55 percent) or Asian (75 percent) women. 
• Texas women earn more with every step up in their education. The median earnings of women with a bachelor’s degree are $17,000 higher than women with some college or an associate’s degree. However, women with a bachelor’s still earn $20,000 less than Texas men with a bachelor’s degree.
• A third of jobs are “middle-skill,” requiring some postsecondary training, such as a certificate or industry credential, but not necessarily a bachelors’ degree.  Twenty-two percent of Texas women have some college education, but no degree.

Some key recommendations:

• Dual enrollment courses in high school, so students can also earn college credit.
• Help women get training for middle-skill jobs where they will earn more than minimum wage.

Child Care: A Critical Work Support for Families

The average yearly cost of full-time child care in Texas is between $7,000 to $9,000—nearly the average annual cost of college in Texas. Access to child care helps women improve their employment, wages, job stability and advancement opportunities.

Some key findings:

• 62 percent of Texas moms are in the paid labor force.
• The majority of Texas children are part of families where both parents work outside the home, or one parent if in a single-parent family. This describes 59 percent (1.3 million) of children under age 6, and 62 percent (1.7 million) of children ages 6 to 12.
• Fewer than 10 percent of eligible children receive child-care subsidies.

Some key recommendations:

• State legislators can build off of existing Pre-K programs and provide additional funding to support full-day programs.
• Texas can increase the amount of funding available to subsidize child-care costs for those who qualify.
• Employers can institute family-friendly policies and work options, such as paid family leave, dependent care reimbursement accounts, flex time, telecommuting and greater employee choice in managing work hours.

Health Insurance: A Financial Shield for the Unexpected

Health insurance is a financial shield against the unexpected, yet 16 percent (2.2 million) women and girls in Texas do not have health insurance.

Some key findings:

• In Texas, 2.2 million women and girls (16 percent) are effectively left out of the health care system because they do not have health insurance, which puts their health and their family’s financial security at risk. 
• From 2013 to 2015, the female uninsured rate in Texas decreased by five percentage points, from 21 to 16 percent. The male uninsured rate also decreased by five percentage points in Texas, from 23 to 18 percent. 

Some key recommendations:

• State legislators can craft a health insurance option that closes the Coverage Gap for low-income adult women.
• Businesses and state legislators can make paid sick leave an earned benefit that is available to more working women. 

Housing: The Anchor of Economic Security

For most women, housing represents the single largest cost in their budgets. When women have access to affordable housing for their families, they have more resources for investment in education, child care and health insurance, but that is not the case in the state.

Some key findings:

• The first is a situation called housing cost burdened, which disproportionately impacts single women and women of color. The rule of thumb for housing costs being too high is when a household spends 30 percent or more of its income on housing. About 45 percent of all female headed families are housing cost burdened compared to 31 percent of male headed families.
• Women are at higher risk for eviction than men.

Some key recommendations:

• State legislators can allow cities to pass local ordinances that protect low-income renters who use vouchers – the vast majority of whom are women – from housing discrimination.
• Local governments should invest in legal services for women and families facing eviction.

About the Economic Issues for Women in Texas

The study was produced by Dallas Women’s Foundation, authored by Center for Public Policy Priorities and supported by Texas Woman’s University. Sources include U.S. Census Bureau data, federal and state agency data and academic research.

To see the full report and findings for each building block, visit https://www.dallaswomensfdn.org/economicissues