It was a standout crowd that gathered at the Arts District Mansion for the 2025 Virginia Chandler Dykes Leadership Award Luncheon on Thursday, March 6, to honor Nicole Small, sponsored by Texas Woman’s University Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership with Presenting Sponsor Luther King Capital Management.
In addition to past Leadership Awardees Abby Williams, Lucy Billingsley, Dale Petroskey, Mary Brinegar and Ralph Hawkins, who served as the event Chair. were sisters Carolyn Rathjen and Nancy Perot, Matrice Ellis-Kirk, Regen Horchow, Dr. Monica Williams, Mary Jalonick and TWU Alumna Lottye Brodsky-Lyle. Here’s report from the field:
Texas Woman’s University held its 2025 Dallas Leadership Luncheon on March 6 at The Arts District Mansion with a sell-out crowd of 400, many of whom were friends with the honoree, Nicole Small.
The highlight of the luncheon was the presentation of the 2025 Virginia Chandler Dykes Leadership Award to longtime Dallas business and community leader Nicole Small, who has had a transformative impact on the Dallas community in the areas of culture, STEM education, life sciences innovation, biotechnology and philanthropy.
Small is the CEO of LH Capital Inc. and Lyda Hill Philanthropies, as well as the co-founder of IF/THEN, an initiative to inspire girls and women to pursue STEM careers through hands-on learning experiences and the promotion of positive portrayals of women in STEM fields.
During a keynote conversation moderated by education philanthropist and friend-of-Nicole Abby Williams, who was the 2024 Leadership Award recipient with her husband, Todd Williams, Small discussed the background and impact of the Lyda Hill-led Pegasus Park development, a model for the incubation of scientific discovery and non-profit innovation, as well as the importance of harnessing vision, leadership and philanthropy to take “big swings” on bold ideas that have the power to transform lives, “even if every swing doesn’t always result in a hit.”
Small mentioned that she has always asked the question: “What if?” in all her career moves. She worked “traditional and non-traditional jobs” in consulting, a tech start-up and other businesses, starting with selling eggs while a student at Lamplighter School. When Small was offered an opportunity to work at a nonprofit, someone told her that was a “career ender because it looks like you couldn’t get a real job.” She ignored the advice and ended up taking the job, which was helping to create the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, where she served as the museum’s inaugural Eugene McDermott Chief Executive Officer. She helped raise the $200 million that underwrote the effort to merge multiple museums into a single institution and bring the Perot Museum into existence.
At that point in the conversation, Small mentioned that her boss, Lyda Hill, sent her regards as she was on a plane to Africa. Hill’s family was one of the major donors of the Perot Museum, one of many gifts connected to Hill’s promise to give away her money while she was living, and could see the benefit. In Small’s talks with Hill, Small asked, “What if you need help directing those dollars?” That led to the job with Lyda Hill.
Small also highlighted IF/THEN’s recently-announced partnership with Hello Sunshine, the woman-focused media and entertainment company founded by Reese Witherspoon, joking that although she wasn’t best friends with Reese “yet,” she knew within moments of meeting the company’s leadership that their organizations’ missions made them a perfect fit.
In addition to the dialogue between Small and Williams, the event featured the presentation of 2025 Virginia Chandler Dykes Scholars representing each of the university’s six colleges, along with a brief overview of their accomplishments and goals: Abi Rainey (College of Arts & Sciences), Bradaisea Ridge-Law (Merrilee Alexander Kick College of Business), Dr. Savitha Sundar (College of Health Sciences/Occupational Therapy), Jenny Reynolds (College of Health Sciences), Kiara Whitney (Houston J. and Florence A. Doswell College of Nursing), and Christiana Parra (College of Professional Education).
TWU Advancement and Alumni Engagement VP Lisa Rampy emceed the luncheon with remarks on TWU’s distinct culture and the collective economic contributions of TWU alumni, totaling $1.84 billion annually to the Texas economy. Other program speakers were Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership Executive Director Shannon Mantaro, Event Chair and past Leadership Awardee Ralph Hawkins and TWU Chancellor Dr. Carine M. Feyten.
During her remarks, Dr. Feyten offered a forward-thinking message about “the impact of our rapidly changing world” with respect to higher education. She likened TWU’s adaptability in the face of constant churn to a surfer successfully riding a wave, emphasizing the university’s commitment to standing strong and leading through change.
Dr. Feyten also noted recent and ongoing university achievements, including TWU’s new R2 Carnegie classification for high research spending and doctoral production, which places the university among just 139 institutions out of 3,900 nationwide; as well as the university’s #2 ranking in DFW by “The Wall Street Journal” and “Forbes,” its position as Texas’ top university for students who are parents, and the recent opening of the Doswell School of Aeronautical Sciences.
The program also included the surprise announcement of a recent scholarship endowment funded by event supporter Don Glendenning, whose gift honors his sister Leigh Glendenning Roberts, a TWU alumna.
Noteworthy luncheon guests included past Leadership Award recipients Lucy Billingsley, Mary Brinegar and Dale Petroskey; TWU regents Ellen Amirkhan; past TWU chancellor Ann Stuart; Dallas campus President Monica Christopher with Brent Christopher; Houston campus President Monica Williams with Ronnie Robinson; current and former members of the TWU Foundation Board of Directors; and representatives from the offices of elected officials. Additional guests seen included members of Nicole Small’s family, Matrice Ellis-Kirk, Lottye Brodsky-Lyle (a TWU alumna), Candace Winslow, Regen Horchow, Carolyn Rathjen, Nancy Perot, Nancy Best, Katie Robbins, Kit Sawers, Tom Luce, Julie Diaz, Lynn McBee and Lynn Fisher.
The TWU Dallas Leadership Award is named in honor of the late Virginia Chandler Dykes, a TWU alumna and TWU Board of Regents member, who was a noted healthcare leader and champion for education. Dykes’ sons Ron Chandler and Chuck Chandler were in attendance at the luncheon, as was Virginia’s longtime friend, Patricia Crocker.
Since 2002, the event has raised $2.42 million for graduate student scholarships. Returning as the event’s presenting sponsor was Luther King Capital Management.
Additional thanks to these sponsors:
- VIP Reception Sponsor: Billingsley Company
- Luncheon Sponsor: Texas Woman’s University’s Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership
- Pioneer Platinum Sponsor: Lyda Hill Philanthropies
- Pioneer Investors: Sue S. Bancroft, Carol and Don Glendenning and Leigh Glendenning Roberts
- Pioneer Premier Partners: Children’s Health, Haynes Boone, The Hersh Foundation, The Hirsch Family Foundation, Nicole and Justin Small/Justin and Nicole Small Fund, Valeo Partners
Learn more about the Dallas Leadership Luncheon at twu.edu/DallasLeadership.
* Photo credit: Leo Gonzales/Texas Woman's University
The post Virginia Chandler Dykes Leadership Award Luncheon Had A Big Showing For Nicole Small appeared first on My Sweet Charity.