Pastors for Texas Children Named New Executive Director
Holly Gaskill Bandel has taken the lead as the organization scales its advocacy model to a national network.
Updated on Sept. 22, 2026 in People
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Pastors for Texas Children has appointed Holly Gaskill Bandel as its new executive director. The leadership change comes as the organization's founder, Charles Foster Johnson, moves to expand the network of faith-based school advocates across the country.
Why it matters
The appointment signals a transition in operational leadership for the nonprofit as it attempts to replicate its Texas-based model of congregational-school partnerships in other states.
The new director brings 25 years of pastoral leadership experience to the organization, which has operated in Texas since its 2013 founding. The scale of the planned national expansion remains under development.
The players
Holly Gaskill Bandel
The new executive director of Pastors for Texas Children and a pastor at First United Methodist Church in Sachse, Texas.
Charles Foster Johnson
The founder of Pastors for Texas Children who is now leading the national expansion of the network.
Pastors for Texas Children
A nonprofit advocacy group that connects faith-based congregations with local public schools.
The details
Pastors for Texas Children coordinates local congregations to support public schools and provides faith leaders with policy analysis on education issues. Bandel, who has been active with the group since 2018, will transition into the executive role while maintaining her connection to the organization's mission of community-based advocacy. The nonprofit framework relies on educating local leaders to influence policy outcomes at the state and now national level.
Timeline
• Holly Gaskill Bandel was ordained an elder in 2003.
• Pastors for Texas Children was founded in 2013.
• Bandel began her involvement with the organization in 2018.
• Bandel was appointed executive director in September 2026.
Market Landscape
This appointment marks a shift in organizational strategy as the network transitions from its 2013 origins into a broader national advocacy model. The move follows a pattern of scaling specialized non-profit operations to manage outreach in multiple state jurisdictions.
Operators in the nonprofit and education-advocacy sectors should monitor the organization's expansion for potential shifts in local education policy. The organizational change highlights the importance of institutional stability when moving from a single-state model to a national footprint.
The takeaway
The transition to new leadership marks a pivotal moment for an organization looking to scale its grassroots advocacy. Operators should track the entity's expansion as an indicator of how faith-based advocacy models impact policy debates in other jurisdictions.
Further reading
For more on shifts in state-level organizational leadership, visit People.
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