Sarah and Ross Perot, Jr. Foundation Gift Establishes Endowment to Support the Jack Martin President’s Leadership Class (PLC) at TXST
President Damphousse, Jack Martin (middle), & PLC members.
The endowment will be used to provide program support for guest speakers, conferences, students scholarships, and for other benefits to student participants.
Student leaders at Texas State University will get a boost in their leadership development thanks to the Sarah and Ross Perot, Jr. Foundation’s donation of $2 million to establish the Jack Martin Endowment for President’s Leadership Class.
TXST President Kelly Damphousse, Ph.D., formed the Jack Martin President’s Leadership Class (PLC) in 2023 with support from Martin, founder of Public Strategies Inc., one of the nation’s most successful corporate advisory firms.
Each year, the TXST Division of Student Success selects 35 applicants for the yearlong PLC. The student cohort meets weekly for workshops where they hear from distinguished speakers, explore their strengths, develop authentic leadership, and learn how to lead with others.
“We are deeply grateful to the Sarah and Ross Perot, Jr. Foundation for this generous gift, which will make a lasting difference in the lives of our student leaders,” Damphousse said.
Jack Martin’s remarkable legacy of leadership and service is something our students can aspire to. Thanks to this investment, the Jack Martin President’s Leadership Class will continue shaping the next generation of Bobcat leaders for years to come. I am also thankful for TSUS Chancellor McCall’s advocacy throughout this process.
Kelly Damphousse
TXST President
“Jack Martin gives credit to TXST for many of the good things that have happened to him, but the fact is, no one is more insightful, perceptive, giving, creative, or talented than Jack—in any situation,” said Texas State University System (TSUS) Chancellor Brian McCall.
“He brought those traits with him to the university. And, like LBJ, Jack brings nationwide honor to his alma mater. The generations of students who will be part of the Jack Martin President’s Leadership Class have won one of life’s great lottery prizes.”
The Sarah and Ross Perot, Jr. Foundation made the gift in honor of Martin, a TXST Distinguished Alumnus and an accomplished thought leader in communications, politics, and business.
TXST President Kelly Damphousse and Jack Martin.
“Outside of my own family, two of the most significant factors that have been key throughout my entire career are my beginnings at Texas State and the Perot family,” Martin said.
“As a first-generation college student, I understand the importance of connection, community, and leadership development to a student’s success in college and beyond. I am thrilled that the Jack Martin President’s Leadership Class, powered by the Perot family’s transformational gift, will enrich Texas State students during their time at the university, their career, and life.”
Martin served as a longtime aide to U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen before founding Public Strategies Inc. in 1988. After the WPP Group acquired Public Strategies and merged it with Hill & Knowlton in 2006, Martin was appointed global chairman and CEO of the newly formed Hill+Knowlton Strategies. In 2014, Martin formed JPM Advisory, LLC, as part of a family investment platform active in ranching, oil and gas, corporate consulting, and entrepreneurial endeavors.
Some of the world’s largest companies have sought Martin’s counsel for decades, leading strategic crisis communications, forging mergers and acquisitions strategies, and successfully defusing hostile takeover attempts. During his career, he has advised executive clients from companies including Southwest Airlines, AT&T, General Motors, Goldman Sachs, Martha Stewart Living, and Perot’s Hillwood Development Co.
Martin’s success has garnered numerous honors, including induction into the International Communications Consultancy Organization Hall of Fame and induction into the Texas Business Hall of Fame. He has also served on numerous boards, including as chairman on the board of Baylor Scott and White Health and the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation board.
Martin has long had ties to TXST. In 1985, he was appointed by the governor of Texas to a six-year term on the Texas State University System Board of Regents, and in 1988, he was elected the board’s chairman at age 34.
"Jack Martin has been a trusted advisor and valued friend to our family for decades,” said Ross Perot, Jr. “He is committed to Texas State and to developing future leaders reflecting the same character, discipline, and integrity he brings to every endeavor. This endowment honors Jack and will ensure the students are shaped by the same values that have guided his extraordinary career.”
Distributions from the Jack Martin Endowment for President’s Leadership Class will be used to provide program support for guest speakers, conferences, students scholarships, and for other benefits to student participants.
