Friends of Texas Public Schools to Honor Texas Champions for Public Education at 2026 Friend of the Year Dinner

Friends of Texas Public Schools will celebrate the people strengthening trust in Texas public education at its annual Friend of the Year Dinner, held for the first time in Austin on Thursday, November 12, 2026, from 5:00 to 9:00 PM at the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center. The dinner precedes the Friends Leadership Summit on November 13, with details on the Summit to follow separately.

Friends of Texas Public Schools is a nonpartisan statewide network dedicated to strengthening trust in public education by convening leaders, translating complex issues into plain language, activating visible initiatives, and amplifying the stories of Texas school communities. The organization's network includes superintendents, school board members, and education leaders representing districts serving more than 1.5 million Texas students.

2026 Friend of the Year Honoree

The Friends of Texas Public Schools 2026 Friend of the Year is Bill Gumbert. For more than 30 years, Gumbert has worked as a public finance investment banker and financial advisor, helping Texas school boards and superintendents navigate capital planning, bond referendums, and long-term financial decisions. He has also spent years researching how school funding and finance decisions affect Texas communities, sharing that work with legislators, school boards, and the public so Texans can better understand the numbers behind their public schools.

"Bill has spent more than a decade making sure the people making decisions about our schools have access to accurate information about how they perform, academically and financially," said Scott Milder, Founder, Friends of Texas Public Schools. "His research shows the numbers plainly: Texas ISDs consistently outperform charter schools. Bill makes sure that fact doesn't get lost. It is an honor to call him a Friend."

2026 Ambassador of the Year Honoree, Presented Posthumously

The Friends of Texas Public Schools 2026 Ambassador of the Year is Blake Wesley Cooper, presented posthumously. Cooper served as Superintendent of Commerce ISD from 2009 to 2016, where he was named Region 10 Superintendent of the Year for 2014 through 2015. He later served as Executive Director of Friends of Texas Public Schools, where he grew the network to unite more than 500 Texas school districts under a shared mission for public education, a foundation the network has continued to build on since. He went on to co-found Impact Education Specialists, a consulting firm helping districts sharpen strategy and communication, work he continued until his death in December 2025. Earlier in his career, Cooper worked as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, principal, and high school head football coach, including at Winnsboro ISD and Edgewood ISD, and served as assistant superintendent at Kaufman ISD. An accomplished athlete at East Texas State University, he was later inducted into the university's Athletic Hall of Fame. Friends of Texas Public Schools renamed its annual student scholarship the Blake Cooper Memorial Scholarship in his honor.

"Blake committed his life to Texas public schools. First in the classroom, then on the field, in the superintendent's office, here at Friends, and he just kept building every day after," said Leigh Anne Pearson, Executive Director, Friends of Texas Public Schools. "He believed that Texans would choose to stand behind their public schools if they simply understood what those schools make possible. We carry that belief forward every day, and his story will keep showing up in front of Texas students for years to come."

Scholarship Recognition

The evening will also include the presentation of the Blake Cooper Memorial Scholarship, honoring a graduating Texas senior who used video and visual storytelling to share how public school shaped their life.

"When Blake and I worked together, he created this scholarship program. It's only fitting that it now carries his name," said Jennifer Storm, former Executive Director, Friends of Texas Public Schools. "He was a coach at heart, and he lived his faith in everything he did. This scholarship was one more way he found to keep helping students."

Teacher of the Year Award

New this year, Friends of Texas Public Schools will also present its first Teacher of the Year Award, including a classroom grant. The 2026 honoree will be announced closer to the dinner.

Past Honorees

Past honorees include Charles Butt, Tom Frost, Chuck and Gena Norris, Texas Pioneer Foundation, The Honorable James Talarico, State Representative, TX 50, The Honorable Dade Phelan, State Representative, TX 21, and The Honorable Gary VanDeaver, State Representative, TX 1.

Tickets to the 2026 Friend of the Year Dinner go on sale here on September 1.