A majority of Fort Worth ISD’s new state-appointed managers reside in some of the wealthiest ZIP codes in the city, county records show.
The managers will govern a district where 4 in 5 students come from low-income families. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath appointed the nine managers Tuesday as part of a state intervention over FWISD’s low student academic performance.
Six of them live on the west side of Fort Worth and two on the east. One manager does not live within FWISD: immigration lawyer Rosa Maria Berdeja. Her law office is based at La Gran Plaza, but Tarrant Appraisal District records show she lives in Mansfield.
Although she doesn’t live in FWISD, Berdeja emphasized she is a member of the Fort Worth community.
“I have a vested interest in the success of this community and the success of this school district,” Berdeja told the Fort Worth Report. “I’m honored to be a part of this board and work toward affecting positive change on behalf of all students of Fort Worth ISD.”
Seven managers did not respond to Fort Worth Report’s requests for comment.
Board President Pete Geren has gotten to know his fellow managers throughout the selection process. He said they are good people.
"We want to do the right thing, and they are focused on the kids and focused on student outcomes," Geren told the Fort Worth Report.
Managers assume the duties of school trustees, who are locally elected to represent the various geographic areas of FWISD.
Managers were sworn in during a private event early Tuesday morning at Artes de la Rosa in Northside. The swearing-in occurred shortly before Morath’s public announcement of his appointments to the board and of Florida educator Peter B. Licata as superintendent.
A majority of the board of managers must be residents of the district, according to Texas law.
Leading up to his appointments, Morath and Texas Education Agency officials emphasized managers would be picked based on their qualifications, regardless of whether they lived within FWISD.
Trustees remain in their seats representing specific areas of Fort Worth ISD but have no authority over the district. Elections will continue during the takeover.
When Morath determines Fort Worth ISD is ready to transition back to local control, trustees will be reintroduced gradually. One-third of the managers will be replaced each year by trustees, until an entirely elected board resumes full power and responsibility.
Here’s who is governing Fort Worth ISD on the board of managers:
President Pete Geren is a former four-term U.S. congressman who later served in the Defense Department under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. He is the CEO and president of the Sid W. Richardson Foundation. A graduate of Arlington Heights High School, Geren earned degrees in history and law from the University of Texas at Austin.
Vice President Courtney Lewis is the Fort Worth-area president of First Bank Texas. She serves on the boards of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce and Housing Channel. She was the first woman of color to serve as president of the Fort Worth Downtown Rotary Club. She has a bachelor’s degree in finance from Southern Methodist University.
Secretary Rosa Maria Berdeja is an immigration lawyer who serves as chair-elect of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and chair of the Recovery Resource Council’s board of directors. She has degrees from the University of North Texas and Texas A&M Law.
Bobby Ahdieh is the chief operating officer of Texas A&M Fort Worth where he has led the university’s law school since 2018. He has degrees from Princeton University and Yale Law School.
Luis A. Galindo is a lawyer of nearly four decades who focuses on construction, business and real estate. He is an adjunct supervising attorney at Texas A&M School of Law’s Law Clinic and teaches business law at Texas Wesleyan University. He has degrees from the University of Texas at El Paso and the University of Texas School of Law.
Laurie George is a Fort Worth ISD parent and former educator who has focused on supporting multilingual learners and students with disabilities. She is pursuing a doctorate degree at the University of North Texas. She is a graduate of Oregon State University.
Frost Prioleau is executive chairman of the Fort Worth-based tech company Simpli.fi. He spent more than 35 years working in tech. He has lived in Fort Worth for nearly 25 years. He has a degree from Princeton.
Jay Stegall is a McDonald’s franchise business partner who has worked in various leadership positions for North Texas businesses. He has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Stephen F. Austin State University and a master’s in business from Texas Christian University.
Tennessee Walker is a Fort Worth ISD parent and lawyer at the Patterson Law Group. He serves as chair for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Tarrant County. He has bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from Texas A&M and law degree from Baylor University.
Disclosure: The Sid W. Richardson Foundation is a financial supporter of the Fort Worth Report. Laurie George is a member of the Report’s reader advisory council. Courtney Lewis is a member of the Report’s business advisory council. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
Jacob Sanchez is education editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or @_jacob_sanchez.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
