H-E-B CEO Charles Butt Invests $100 Million into The Holdsworth Center
SAN ANTONIO, TX – With Texas retailers shifting around new strategies to stay ahead of the market, H-E-B’s Chairman and CEO is taking up a new method to further stimulate the market; investing in the next generation of leaders and consumers. Charles Butt has invested $100 million into The Holdsworth Center.
“The Holdsworth Center is about helping people be extraordinary in the job they are in today,” stated Charles, according to KSAT12. “In addition, we want them to reinvent the way future leaders are selected, developed, and supported within their districts so that when a position opens up, they have a tremendous bench from which to select the next superstar.”
The non-profit organization will be headquartered in Austin and is aimed at improving the quality of public education in Texas schools. The goal of the center, and Charles, is for the institution to create progress in every classroom by empowering educational leaders to reach their fullest potential, while also preparing the next generation of leaders.
Charles’ donation will further enable the creation of the center, which will be named after his mother, Mary Elizabeth Holdsworth, who was a lifelong educator and philanthropist. The Holdsworth Center will be overseen by a 17-member panel, and chaired by the former President of Smith College and Brown University, Dr. Ruth Simmons.
“Mr. Butt's generous gift to the children of Texas demonstrates the level of commitment necessary to ensure a more hopeful future for our schools. I am grateful to work with him in developing and supporting leaders for our public schools,” said Dr. Ruth Simmons, Chair of the Holdsworth Center’s Board of Directors.
Charles’ donation to the training center will come from his personal fortune. The Austin Business Journal stated that this donation to The Holdsworth Center represents a new and innovative way for private citizens to invest in public education.
Classes for the training academy are slated to begin in June, with 16 school districts participating thus far.
For more information on The Holdsworth Center, click here.
