The Leadership Texarkana Board of Directors is delighted to announce that, as of June 1, 2025, Dr. Jenny McCormack Walker will be taking over leadership of the Leadership Texarkana organization as its Executive Director, on the retirement of current director Ruth Ellen Whitt at the end of May.
Leadership Texarkana Board President Patti O’Bannon says, “Dr. Walker brings a passion for Texarkana USA and a wealth of experience and success as a community leader which will be an unbeatable springboard for the organization as we position ourselves for Next Generation Impact in the community.”
Dr. Walker is a leader who values creative problem solving, community collaboration, and research-based practices in her work. As a veteran educator, Dr. Walker is an expert on adult and community education, workforce development, and professional development training. She earned a doctorate in education leadership and a master’s degree in education administration, both from Texas A&M University–Texarkana. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from the University of North Texas. Dr. Walker also attended Texarkana College and is a proud graduate of Liberty-Eylau High School.
Walker is a current member of the 2025 class of the statewide women’s leadership program, Leadership Texas, and she serves on the Digital Opportunity Advisory Group for the Texas Broadband Development Office. In 2024, Dr. Walker represented Texas in COABE’s 2024 State Advocates for Adult Education Fellowship. She is a graduate of the 2021 Leadership Texarkana class and completed Strategic Doing practitioner training.
Community service is important to Dr. Walker. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Caddo Area Council of the Boy Scouts, the Literacy Council of Bowie and Miller Counties, and the Texas High Band Boosters. She is also a member of Altrusa of Texarkana and the Kiwanis Club. She volunteers in the Today’s Youth Tomorrow’s Leaders program through Leadership Texarkana.
Dr. Walker’s work experience includes serving as the Executive Director of Literacy Texas, an organization that serves as the backbone agency for a state-wide coalition of community-based organizations focused on literacy. She previously served as the Executive Director of the Literacy Council of Bowie and Miller Counties, and under her leadership, the Literacy Council was named the 2023 Non-Profit Organization of the Year by the Texarkana Chamber of Commerce. She was named the Outstanding Literacy Council Director for the state of Arkansas in 2023. Dr. Walker was also responsible for bringing the 100 Families initiative to Texarkana and supporting its growth at the Literacy Council until it found a new home at Ground Floor Collective, a Texarkana non-profit that she co-founded with co worker Kristina Rivas.
Dr. Walker will be working part-time during the coming months alongside Whitt and the Leadership Texarkana staff and board to ensure a smooth transition to the organization’s exciting next chapter!
LEADERSHIP TEXARKANA is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to WORKING TOGETHER for COMMUNITY EXCELLENCE. To those ends, Leadership Texarkana dedicates its efforts to
• Unleashing Texarkana Talent and Ingenuity
• Blazing Trails for Community-Wide Strategic Doing
• Unifying all around Vision, Values and Priorities
• Bringing a Voice of Possibility and Responsibility
• Celebrating TXK Excellence and What’s to Love at goTXK.org–
PLUS a TXK calendar for all events
Additional information about Leadership Texarkana can be found at www.leadershiptexarkana.com.
