SVP Dallas Names Catherine Cuellar as Its Next CEO » Dallas Innovates

Catherine Cuellar doesn’t stay in one lane. Over two decades, she’s moved between newsrooms and nonprofits, cultural institutions and city hall, corporate strategy and community impact.

Now she’s set to take the helm at Social Venture Partners Dallas, an organization built around connections—where philanthropists roll up their sleeves to ‘do good better.’

The SVP Dallas board announced the appointment in a letter to partners and supporters today, calling Cuellar a “leader built for this moment.” She starts as CEO on January 1, 2026, as the organization prepares for strategic planning for its next 25 years.

Founded in 1999, the organization celebrated its 25th anniversary at its annual Philanthroparty gala in June. Cuellar is a natural fit for where the organization is headed, the board said.

“I’ve been a friend and fan of the great work and wonderful programs of SVP Dallas for many years. I’m honored to serve the partners whose work continues to make Dallas better,” Cuellar said in the announcement. “Our work together will build on SVP’s strong record of impactful capacity building while exploring new strategies and alliances to meet this moment.”

A comprehensive search 

The board called Cuellar a “gifted executive leader,” describing her as someone who has built a reputation for strengthening organizations, elevating community voices, and forging collaborations across the nonprofit, public, and private sectors.

“For those who have not yet met Catherine, prepare to be inspired by a leader whose entire career has been dedicated to building stronger, more connected communities,” said Donna Young and the board in the letter.

Victory Search Group led a multi-month search, reaching out to more than 100 leaders and interviewing more than 30 candidates.

The SVP Dallas Search Committee—Ted Herrod, Donna Young, Mary Jalonick, Bob Wright, Christina Hangar, and John Dupree—met regularly to review progress, conduct in-depth interviews, and evaluate finalists. The committee voted unanimously to recommend Cuellar to the full SVP Board of Directors, which approved her appointment on November 3.

“We could not be more confident in this decision or more excited for the future of SVP Dallas,” Young and the Board of Directors said.

A career crossing sectors

Cuellar began her career as a journalist at The Dallas Morning News and NPR stations KERA and KCRW. She later co-founded GuideLive.com, the News’ digital guide to arts and culture.

More recently, as director of communications, outreach, and marketing for the City of Dallas, Cuellar expanded organizational capacity and created community-centered initiatives. She established protocols for community outreach and public affairs for the FIFA World Cup 2026 and a new convention center district. She also launched a paid tourism and hospitality internship program to build the local workforce and developed a Nighttime Initiatives (NIGHT) division to support entrepreneurship and safety.

Before that, as CEO of the Dallas Arts District Foundation, she led the nation’s largest contiguous urban cultural district. She balanced the budget, doubled annual revenues, and secured new public and private funding. During her tenure, she co-founded the Global Cultural Districts Network, which is headquartered in Dallas, and hosted the 82nd U.S. Conference of Mayors and the New Cities Summit.

Her strategic consulting work with Grant Thornton LLP and Communities Foundation of Texas reflects her ability to align business strategy with community impact, according to the board. At Communities Foundation of Texas, where she served as Director of Entrepreneurs for North Texas, she managed a portfolio of 100 member companies and helped them align business objectives with corporate citizenship, the board noted.

Earlier in her career, Cuellar worked as communications manager at Oncor, where she managed communications and external affairs for the electric utility company, supporting government advocacy and leading digital strategies that earned industry recognition.

Cuellar also has a long history of civic engagement, serving on boards including Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), the Greater Dallas Planning Council, and Texans for the Arts.

“These experiences position Catherine perfectly to guide SVP Dallas as we embark on strategic planning,” the board said in the letter.

SVP Dallas’ throughline: ‘Do Good Better’

SVP Dallas’ official tagline, “Do Good Better” reflects its approach to philanthropy. Partners contribute funding, but they also roll up their sleeves. Using their skills and experience, they help organizations improve operations, from HR and finance to strategy and board governance.

Using a venture capital model, SVP also invests in early-stage social-impact ideas, both nonprofit and for-profit, that need support to reach sustainability. And it convenes the community through events, luncheons, and bigBANG!, bringing together people who want to learn, challenge assumptions, and build smarter solutions for North Texas.

SVP Dallas is one of six original founding chapters of Social Venture Partners International, part of a network of over 40 affiliate organizations in cities and countries worldwide. As a local affiliate, it operates independently with its own governing board and focuses on local community issues.

Momentum during transition

While the board conducted its search, SVP Dallas staff and partners kept the organization’s work moving forward, including hosting bigBANG! on November 6-7 at SMU.

Tony Fleo has served as SVP Dallas CEO since 2014.

bigBANG! is North Texas’s longest-running and largest social innovation conference. The multi-day event brings together social innovators, business professionals, and community leaders for dialogue, education, and action on social issues. This year’s theme was “Hope in Action: Igniting Change, Empowering Communities,” exploring how collective action can transform shared aspirations into measurable impact.

Fleo, the SVP Dallas staff, and our Partners continued to advance the group’s “mission with excellence—including delivering another outstanding bigBANG!” the board said in the letter. “We are deeply grateful for their leadership and dedication during this transition.”

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