Texans Can Academies, an open enrollment, free public high school of choice with 13 campuses across the state, recently announced Nancy Woodson as the new development director over their Fort Worth campuses.

With more than 13 years of extensive experience serving the regional Fort Worth community, Nancy will implement the Fort Worth development plan for the nonprofit organization. Her passion for working with education and people in need has been displayed through her time with Texas Christian University and The Salvation Army. She graduated from TCU with her children when she was 47 and is known for saying “education creates freedom and enables power.”

“I am thrilled to be working at the Fort Worth Can Academies,” Woodson said. “I am combining my two favorite passions of education and helping children in need. Texans Can is providing them with a second chance and I am grateful to be a part of that.”

The role of development director for Texans Can Academies develops and implements a strategic plan to raise vital funds for the organization in a cost-effective and time-efficient manner. Development directors oversee all fundraising efforts in the region.

Richard Marquez, President and CEO of Texans Can said, “Nancy has joined the Fort Worth development department at a very important and exciting time for the growth of our campuses. We are thrilled to have a candidate of her caliber join our team.”

Texans Can Academies provide hope to all high school students who want to attend school, learn and earn their high school diplomas. To date, more than 141,120 students have changed their lives and the lives of their families through their education experience with Texans Can Academies.

Texans Can Academies currently has two high schools of choice in Fort Worth: Texans Can Academy- Fort Worth Lancaster Avenue and Texans Can Academy - Fort Worth Westcreek. The Texans Can Academy - Fort Worth Lancaster Avenue campus is also home to the Louella and Nicholas Martin Wee Can Academy.

The United States now ranks 22nd out of 27 developed countries in graduation rates. Every year, more than 1.2 million students drop out of high school in the U.S., which equates to an average of 7,000 youth a day that lose hope and leave high school.

For more information, please visit www.texanscan.org or www.carsforkids.org.