Holly Gaskill Bandel named executive director of Pastors for Texas Children

# New leadership at Pastors for Texas Children

Pastors for Texas Children has named Holly Gaskill Bandel its executive director. She succeeds founder Charles Foster Johnson, who will concentrate on building a national affiliate network called Pastors for Children.

Founded in 2013, Pastors for Texas Children links congregations with nearby public schools, educates faith leaders about public education issues, and advocates for policies that serve Texas children, families, and communities. The organization's approach has led to a decision to replicate the model in other states through the new national effort.

# Who Holly Gaskill Bandel is

Bandel brings more than 25 years of pastoral leadership, nonprofit work, and community engagement to the role. She has been involved with Pastors for Texas Children since 2018 and has practical experience building partnerships between churches and public schools.

Her current position is pastor of First United Methodist Church in Sachse, a suburb of Dallas. Previously she served as executive associate minister at First United Methodist Church Dallas, where her responsibilities included mission and community ministries, public education advocacy, and school partnerships. Bandel has also held leadership positions at Stonebridge United Methodist Church, Creekwood United Methodist Church, First United Methodist Church Plano, and Anna United Methodist Church.

# What Bandel has said about the work

# Johnson's role going forward

Charles Foster Johnson, who founded Pastors for Texas Children, will shift his focus to expanding the Texas model nationally. The national organization, Pastors for Children, aims to plant state affiliates and amplify voices of faith leaders who support strong public schools in Washington.

Johnson's public statement pointed to the Texas experience as proof of the model's effectiveness: "The work we began in Texas has demonstrated the power of pastors and congregations standing together for children and their public schools." He framed the national effort as a way to take that approach beyond Texas.

# What to expect next

Under Bandel's leadership, expect continued emphasis on connecting congregations with local public schools and on public education advocacy. Johnson's national focus suggests the Texas organization will serve as a model for state-level affiliates elsewhere. The transition keeps organizational goals stable while shifting some capacity to national expansion.

# Concrete elements to watch

• Texas communities.
• Whether Pastors for Children successfully establishes state affiliates and how quickly those affiliates form.
• Policy engagement at the state and federal level as the network seeks to make faith leaders' pro-public-school positions heard in Washington.