Decades of Leaders

When the Goolsby Leadership Academy celebrated its 20th birthday with a dinner and a medallion ceremony on the UTA campus, the Goolsbys—John (’64 BBA) and his wife, Judy—were on hand to celebrate the program’s success.

The academy, which was established via a gift from an anonymous donor to honor the couple, aims to develop students into ethical leaders and problem-solvers by engaging with professionals and executives via internships, exploratory study, and special projects.

“I have had the opportunity over the last 20 years to meet many of these students, and I’ve seen their successes,” says John. “Being a Goolsby Scholar means you have a commitment to do things the right way to establish yourself as someone who can be depended on.”

Since its founding, the academy has developed 600 business students into versatile and innovative leaders.

“For me, one of the largest takeaways from the academy was communication,” says Nicholas Lopez (’16 MA, ’14 BBA, Economics). “That has given me more opportunities than I ever imagined.”

“All of these young people were toddlers when we started this. Now they’re young adults. That’s something to be proud of,” says Judy. “They go on to do wonderful things. I’m so proud that I can look back and say that we had a small hand in helping them get there.”