Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick calls for Alamo Trust CEO’s firing over ‘troubling’ dissertation she wrote in grad school

Kate Rogers is currently overseeing a $550 million revamp of the Alamo site. Credit: Shutterstock / 4kclips

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Thursday demanded that Alamo Trust CEO Kate Rogers be terminated due to a “troubling” college dissertation that he said is “incompatible” with the state’s version of the Spanish Mission’s history.

Patrick, one of the state’s highest-profile GOP culture warriors, made the demand in an Oct. 23 letter to the Alamo Trust’s board of directors.

His move comes days after the Alamo came under fire from Republican Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham over a social media post in which it recognized Indigenous people’s contribution to the mission’s history. The post also highlighted a Native American gallery at the Alamo Visitor Center and Museum set to open in 2027.

The Alamo has since apologized for the now-deleted post, which was made on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, a holiday that began as a counter-celebration to Columbus Day.

Rogers — who’s been leading the $550 million reimagining of the Alamo site, one of San Antonio’s key visitor attractions — wrote her dissertation while earning a doctorate in education from the University of Southern California in 2023.

In his letter, Patrick particularly took issue with the last two pages of Rogers’ dissertation. In that portion, she took aim at Texas politicians meddling in public education.

“Philosophically, I do not believe it is the role of politicians to determine what professional educators can or should teach in the classroom,” Rogers wrote. “Instead, teachers should be afforded the autonomy to make those decisions based on their own expertise as well as the needs of their students.”

Upon discovering the two-year-old manuscript, Patrick wrote in a letter to the Alamo Board of Trustees that Rogers’ writing is inconsistent with the “history of the battle for the Alamo.”

“I believe her judgment is now placed in serious question and makes clear she has a totally different view of how the history of the Alamo should be told,” Patrick wrote.

Patrick’s tantrum is the latest in a series of efforts by Republican Texas leaders to fire, intimidate or ostracize people for expressing views that don’t fall in line with the party’s views.

Last month, Texas A&M University President Mark A. Welsh III resigned amid outrage from conservative figures over a viral video of a student confronting a professor over gender issues being discussed in a children’s literature course. The university also fired the professor.

Days later, the Texas Education Agency launched an investigation into public-school educators’ social media comments about the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk’s killing — a move teachers unions have decried as a witch hunt.

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Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick calls for Alamo Trust CEO’s firing over ‘troubling’ dissertation she wrote in grad school

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