Celebrate 25 years
of ACE Scholarships
Texas Luncheon
Celebrate 25 years
of ACE Scholarships
Texas Luncheon
Cheers to 25 years of educational freedom.
Event Program
“Changing education changes everything” is more than a tagline — it’s a powerful truth that explains why ACE exists. Education sits at the root of nearly every major challenge we face, from economic instability to public health and even national security. When we change education, we create ripple effects that reach far beyond the classroom. For families navigating limited options, educational freedom opens the door to opportunity. When parents can choose the right fit for their children, students thrive — academically and beyond. When we prioritize educational access, we invest in a future where more children are prepared to lead, innovate, and uplift their communities. And that changes everything.
Condoleezza Rice is the Tad and Dianne Taube Director of the Hoover Institution and a Senior Fellow on Public Policy. She is the Denning Professor in Global Business and the Economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. In addition, she is a founding partner of Rice, Hadley, Gates & Manuel LLC, an international strategic consulting firm.
Rice served as the 66th U.S. Secretary of State from 2005 to 2009, becoming the first Black woman and second woman to hold the post. Prior to that, she was National Security Advisor from 2001 to 2005, the first woman in that role. She also served as Stanford University’s provost from 1993 to 1999 and has been a faculty member in Political Science since 1981 and has won two of the university’s highest teaching honors.
Watch Condoleezza Rice Speak at the 2025 Texas Luncheon
Featured Speaker
66th Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is the Tad and Dianne Taube Director of the Hoover Institution and a Senior Fellow on Public Policy. She is the Denning Professor in Global Business and the Economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. In addition, she is a founding partner of Rice, Hadley, Gates & Manuel LLC, an international strategic consulting firm.
Rice served as the 66th U.S. Secretary of State from 2005 to 2009, becoming the first Black woman and second woman to hold the post. Prior to that, she was National Security Advisor from 2001 to 2005, the first woman in that role. She also served as Stanford University’s provost from 1993 to 1999 and has been a faculty member in Political Science since 1981 and has won two of the university’s highest teaching honors.
Additional Speaker Videos
Hear Our Speakers
GRETA, MIRACLE AND AHKIRA ALEXANDER
ACE FAMILY
SHAILENDRA THOMAS, ED.D.
HEAD OF SCHOOL, THE KINGS ACADEMY
NORTON RAINEY, CEO
ACE SCHOLARSHIPS
JON LINEBERGER, ED.D.
PRESIDENT, ACE TEXAS
Event Videos
2025 Highlight Reel
ACE Scholarships: Our Founding Story
ACE 101
Changing Education Changes Everything
ACE Founders
ACE Scholarships was founded in 2000 by Alex Cranberg, Charlie Gallagher, Ralph Nagel, John Saeman and the late Ed McVaney and John Walton to provide low-income parents with the freedom to choose the K-12 schools that are best for their children.
The founders’ vision was powerful but simple: that all children have access to great schools. The founders’ commitment to launch ACE was formed through many years of frustration with a lack of reform within the public school system and unsuccessful legislative efforts to provide publicly funded vouchers to families for private school.
They were also keenly aware that low-income students lagged far behind students of other incomes and that overall, American students continued to fall further behind students in other countries.
Ways to Support
You can be a part of changing a child’s story.
For more information about how you can be a part of ACE Scholarships, please reach out to:
Jon Lineberger, Ed.D.
Event Photos
