The Tarrant To & Through Partnership’s new CEO wants to ensure Fort Worth students are prepared for the opportunities that come from the city’s growth.
The board of directors of the organization, also known as the T3 Partnership, on Monday appointed David Saenz as president and CEO. Since November, Saenz has served as the interim leader of the nonprofit aimed at helping students succeed after high school.
“Having spent 22 years in education in school districts in Irving and in Fort Worth learning how systems worked allowed me to see that there is an opportunity to impact a larger system,” Saenz said.
David Saenz is the new president and CEO of the Tarrant To & Through Partnership. (Courtesy | Tarrant To & Through Partnership)
Saenz has worked with the T3 Partnership since 2024 as senior education adviser. He was among the founding board members of the organization, which Mayor Mattie Parker started in 2020. He also was a founding member of the Mayor’s Council on Education & Workforce Development.
His work in the Fort Worth and Irving school districts focused on helping students be ready for college, a career or the military.
Saenz succeeds Natalie Young Williams, who resigned in November after four years of leading the nonprofit. She is now the chief impact officer of the Dallas college and career advising organization Education is Freedom.
The T3 Partnership serves more than 40,000 students in the Fort Worth, Crowley, Castleberry and Arlington school districts. Three additional Tarrant County districts will join the partnership next year, according to a news release.
Saenz’s passion for the community and students was a key driver behind why the board picked him, said Sarah Tempel, chair of the partnership’s board of directors. He knows how to bring schools and private industry together to best serve students.
“He looks at every decision through how it’s going to help kids,” she said. “It’s not going to just move T3. It’s going to move Tarrant County forward and really be impactful for students and families.”
Saenz said he knew he wanted the CEO position as he and the T3 Partnership’s staff started working on the nonprofit’s new strategic plan, which will roll out later in 2026 and guide the organization for the next six years. That plan aligned with where he wanted to take his career.
Viewing things through a wider lens, Saenz said he saw a unique moment in Tarrant County where school districts, employers and higher education institutions are working closely together.
“I see improvements and a focus on improvements happening in school districts around our area, and our colleges and employers coming to the table as industry comes to our region,” Saenz said. “It was a great time to be a part of that.”
Tempel said hiring Saenz for the permanent leadership position was a no-brainer.
“He speaks education, workforce, student success and family success. It just makes sense,” she said.
Jacob Sanchez is education editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at jacob.sanchez@fortworthreport.org or @_jacob_sanchez.
Disclosure: FWISD manager Pete Geren leads the Sid W. Richardson Foundation, a financial supporter of the Fort Worth Report. FWISD manager Laurie George is a member of the Report’s reader advisory council. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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