Mission
The Barbara Jordan Freedom Foundation works to further the ideals, principles, and vision that Barbara Jordan exemplified during her life and career by identifying injustices, speaking truth to power, and empowering communities to address these injustices.
Vision
America has abolished past injustices such as slavery, segregation and voter restrictions. In keeping with this tradition, the Barbara Jordan Freedom Foundation seeks to end current injustices by leading campaigns for change.
Change may occur through many means, including community projects that address a specific injustice, media coverage that arouses public action, proposals for new and enlightened public policies, and collaboration with related organizations working on the same issues.
The goal is a national community that ensures freedom for all Americans.
Board of Trustees
The 16-member Board of Trustees will determine the organization’s work, steering it toward the effective and successful achievement of its mission. An Executive Committee, made up of up to nine Board members, will serve as the core group of decision makers.
Chair:
Hon. Wilford Flowers
Retired Judge, 147th Criminal District Court, Austin
Board Trustees:
Philip C. Bobbitt
Senior Fellow, Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law
School of Law, The University of Texas at Austin
Sam Bryant
Bryant Wealth Investment Group, LLC
Austin, Texas
Norma V. Cantú
U.S. Civil Rights Commissioner
Professor of Law and Education
The University of Texas at Austin
Rodney Ellis
Former Texas Senator, District 13
DeAnne Friedholm
Board Trustee
John Hall
Director, Regulatory & Legislative Affairs
Environmental Defense Fund
Dr. Peniel E. Joseph
Professor and Barbara Jordan Chair in Ethics and Political Values at the Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) School of Public Affairs and director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy (CSRD)
Margaret Lalk
Board Secretary, Barbara Jordan Freedom Foundation
Independent Law Practice Professional
Jon Lemon, CPA, LLB
Tax Practice Director
Darryl Tocker
Executive Director, Tocker Foundation
David C. Warner Ph.D.
Wilbur J. Cohen Professor in Health and Social Policy
LBJ School of Public Affairs
The University of Texas at Austin
Honorable mention of former trustees:
William B. Hilgers
Hilgers & Ugarte, P.C., Austin
Mary Beth Rogers
Author, Barbara Jordan: American Hero
Former CEO, KLRU TV, Austin
Clift Price M.D.
Former Director, Division of Maternal and Child Health
Texas State Department of Health
Steve Martin
Corrections Consultant
Former General Counsel, Texas Prison System
Joseph C. Parker, Jr., J.D., D.Min.
Senior Pastor
David Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, Austin
Michele Deitch
Lecturer, LBJ School of Public Affairs
The University of Texas at Austin
Rodney Ellis
Texas Senate District 13
Philip C. Bobbitt
Senior Fellow, Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law
School of Law, The University of Texas at Austin
Rambie Briggs M.D.
Barbara Jordan’s personal physician
Lago Vista, Texas
Our Values
The Barbara Jordan Freedom Foundation embodies the qualities of its namesake:
- Courage. Standing up for what is right, without shrinking from controversy.
- Autonomy. Steering an independent course, without regard to political party affiliation or ideology.
- Ethics. Acting in accordance with the law and the highest moral principles.
- Reason. Basing discussion and decisions on rational thinking, free of bias, stereotypes, and rashness.
- Compassion. Caring deeply about the problems and suffering of others.
- Accountability. Accepting responsibility for ourselves as individuals and for the common good.
- Leadership. Providing a vision of the future.