First Woman Elected to Lead TCU’s Board of Trustees

Kit Tennison Moncrief is the newly elected chair of Texas Christian University’s board of trustees. She is the first woman to hold the position.

“I am very pleased to announce that long-serving trustee Kit Moncrief has agreed to help lead TCU into the next years of Horned Frog history as TCU’s first female chair,” Chancellor Victor J. Boschini Jr. said in a news release. “Kit’s leadership and service – both to TCU and within our Fort Worth community – will benefit generations to come. We are excited to welcome her to this new role, especially during this historic year as TCU celebrates 150 years of leadership and excellence in academics and community.”

Moncrief succeeds Mark Johnson, who led the TCU board of trustees for six years. He will continue to serve on the board.

Mark Johnson and Kit Moncrief (TCU)

Moncrief has a long legacy of leadership at TCU and has served as board vice chair since 2017. Her late husband, Charlie Beggs Moncrief, also served as a TCU trustee, as did Moncrief’s mother, Gloria Lupton Tennison.

“As a child, I learned from my parents, especially my mother, the importance of education and giving back,” Moncrief said. “As chair, I hope to continue her legacy – and love and passion for TCU, while supporting the university into its next 150 years.”

Moncrief is actively involved in Fort Worth philanthropy, currently serving as president of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame and co-chairing of the Fort Worth Zoological Association. She is past president of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Foundation and the Moncrief Cancer Foundation. She is a board member of UT Southwestern Moncrief Cancer Institute, the Brown Lupton Foundation, Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo (serving on the executive committee), the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, and Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. She co-founded the Saving Hope Foundation, an organization formed to end animal abuse and neglect through advocacy, education and spay-neuter programs.

Moncrief also serves on the board of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the Southwestern Medical Foundation, and the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women’s Health National Advisory Board.

Established in 1874, the TCU board of trustees enables the university to carry out its mission by setting policy and developing long-term institutional strategy. The board meets twice a year and consists of up to 50 members. Its bylaws also provide for emeritus and honorary members.

The board is responsible for establishing and promoting the overall strategic direction for the university, hiring and regularly evaluating the chancellor, and other duties based on current needs or issues under the leadership of the elected chair.

About TCU: Founded in 1873, the Fort Worth-based university includes nine schools and colleges offering 117 areas of undergraduate study, 61 master’s level programs, and 39 areas of doctoral study. Total enrollment stands at 12,273, including 10,523 undergraduates and 1,750 graduate students. For more information, visit TCU’s website.

This article originally appeared in the Fort Worth Business Press and is shared with permission.