Dr. Rachael Capua, vice president of external operations and dean of Tarleton State Fort Worth, was honored for expanding higher education access and strengthening education-to-workforce pathways in Tarrant County.
Dr. Rachael Capua received the Fort Worth Chamber’s 2026 Young Professional of the Year Award for leadership in higher education access and workforce alignment.
Since joining Tarleton State University in 2023, Capua has overseen extended campuses, online and workforce development operations, and helped advance an 80-acre Fort Worth campus.
Her prior role as founding director for Tarrant To & Through Partnership connected more than 8,000 Tarrant County students with scholarships and persistence supports.
# What happened
Dr. Rachael Capua its 2026 Young Professional of the Year. The award was presented at the Chamber's Young Professionals Summit on Sept. 9 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Fort Worth South.
# Why it matters
# What Capua does now
Dr. Capua is vice president of external operations and dean of Tarleton State Fort Worth. Since she joined Tarleton State University in 2023, she has overseen:
Her current responsibilities focus on expanding educational pathways and aligning academic programs with regional workforce needs.
# What she did before
Before Tarleton State, Capua was the founding director of College and Career Success for the Tarrant To & Through Partnership. In that role she worked with colleges and universities to connect more than 8,000 Tarrant County students to scholarships, persistence coaching, and other support services.
# Civic and community roles
Capua holds leadership roles with several local organizations, including the Fort Worth Mayor's Council on Workforce & Education, Center for Transforming Lives, Tarrant Area Food Bank, and Bass Hall Performing Arts. The award citation cites her work building partnerships that "have supported thousands of Tarrant County students."
# What people said
Steve Montgomery, president and CEO of the Fort Worth Chamber, praised her leadership and her role bringing young professionals into Chamber conversations about the city's future.
Capua commented on the award: "I don't see this as an award for one person or one story. Our professional journeys are shaped by the people who believe in us, champion us, and encourage us to become the best version of ourselves. Tarleton State University and the Fort Worth community have given me the opportunity to do that alongside educators, employers, and civic leaders who care deeply about where this city is headed, and I'm tremendously grateful."
# Bottom line
The recognition spotlights a leader working at the intersection of higher education and workforce development in Fort Worth. The Chamber framed the choice around measurable student supports and program-to-workforce alignment, and Capua's track record includes both operational leadership at Tarleton State and prior, hands-on work connecting thousands of students to financial and persistence resources.
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