Through mentorship and experience, participants develop the confidence, connections, and skills to lead on campus and beyond.
Before arriving at Texas State University for his freshman year in Fall 2024, Elliott Downey applied to participate in the Jack Martin President’s Leadership Class. He hoped the program would help him connect with his new classmates and the university. Looking back, the experience amounted to much more.
“I didn’t quite grasp the extent of the program until we had our first orientation,” said Downey, who’s now a sophomore psychology major and criminal justice minor. “And then we attended a lecture series with former President George W. Bush. We got to shake his hand and have a short conversation, which is not something I thought I would be doing as a freshman in college.”
TXST President Dr. Kelly Damphousse launched the President’s Leadership Class (PLC) in 2023 with support from Jack Martin, founder of Public Strategies Inc., a renowned corporate advisory firm. Damphousse had been part of a similar program as a faculty member at the University of Oklahoma and then created one with First Lady Beth Damphousse at Arkansas State University when he served as chancellor there.
Back in April, the Sarah and Ross Perot, Jr. Foundation donated $2 million to further boost the Jack Martin Endowment for President’s Leadership Class.
The Damphousses and Martin launched the PLC to help first-year students develop into impactful leaders who can apply what they learn to other leadership roles on campus and to their careers after graduation.
“Good leadership is contagious,” President Damphousse said. “Through PLC, we give students the inspiration and tools to build lifelong leadership skills that will not only serve them well but help them serve others.”
The students are selected after a rigorous interview process and spend their first year in college interacting with university and state leaders, and attending weekly workshops where they explore their strengths, develop authentic leadership, and learn how to lead others.
Along with the Damphousses, the program is led by Karlie Beach, a TXST alum and President's Leadership Class director. Of the 350 applicants for the 2025–2026 cohort, she said, 55 were selected for interviews and 31 were admitted to the program. While GPA is a consideration, it isn’t the deciding factor. Beach said she’s more interested in the leadership qualities a student displayed while in high school or in their communities.
“What really stood out to me was their excitement, their leadership quality, and their hunger to be a part of it,” she said. “It helps that President Damphousse is on social media, because so many of them already followed him before they got to Texas State and saw posts about the program. These students are incredible.”
The Damphousses kick off the PLC program each fall by hosting the PLC students for a welcome dinner at their house. For the remainder of the academic year, the cohort meets every Tuesday, generally at Commons Dining Hall, and has dinner together before diving into the weekly meeting and hearing from a speaker. Students also have the opportunity to join a two-week study abroad trip at the end of their sophomore year with a significant portion of the cost covered by the program.
In the Fall 2025 semester, PLC students heard from Ray Rogers, director for Career Services; Terrence Johnson, men’s basketball head coach; Zenarae Antoine, women’s basketball head coach; Stephanie Reyes, TXST alum and San Marcos city manager; Bob Honeycutt, Christus Santa Rosa CEO; and Bill Poston, distinguished alum and founder of the Stelos Alliance, among others.
PLC students met with the Bobcat women's basketball team during one of the cohort's Fall 2025 weekly sessions. Head Coach Zenarae Antoine addressed the group, players shared their perspectives, and the PLC students participated in a center-court meeting focused on leadership, communication, and team dynamics.
Martin—whose many honors include induction into the International Communications Consultancy Organization Hall of Fame and induction into the Texas Business Hall of Fame—also speaks to each cohort.
“I try to get alums and community leaders from different backgrounds to tell the students about their leadership paths and that no one’s path is perfectly straight,” Beach said. “I wish the program would have been here when I was a student. It would have been neat to be a part of it and then run it.”
“Good leadership is contagious,” President Damphousse said. “Through PLC, we give students the inspiration and tools to build lifelong leadership skills that will not only serve them well but help them serve others.”
The PLC participants also attend a Bobcat football game together each fall as well as the LBJ Distinguished Lecture Series. For Downey and his classmates in the 2024–2025 cohort, that meant the opportunity to meet President Bush, who was the speaker at a special event honoring TXST’s 125th anniversary.
Along with meeting Bush, Downey said his biggest takeaways from PLC were the opportunities to build connections and pursue meaningful change. Through the program, he joined Student Government, the Gold Star Society, and the Honors Code Council. He also successfully applied to become a PLC intern for the incoming class of PLC students.
Interns curate gift bags for speakers, log attendance for events, set up rooms for workshops, introduce guests, and provide insights for the PLC students to help them make the most of the program.
“All of these great opportunities came from being in PLC,” Downey said. “It’s also a huge boost on my resume to be part of these programs. It’s immensely valuable, especially as a freshman when you’re coming out of high school, and a huge part of being successful in college. I’ve learned how to be a professional and make connections.”
Applications for the 2026-2027 cohort are now being accepted through February 28. Application information can be found on the President's Leadership Class webpage.
Watch TXST President Kelly Damphousse’s podcast, The Current, to learn more about Jack Martin, the namesake and a key supporter of the Jack Martin President’s Leadership Class.
