Every year, the Faye C. Goostree Women's Symposium Planning committee at Texas Wesleyan University plans an intellectually and culturally stimulating event focusing on aspects of life relating to women.
2023 Goostree Symposium
The Goostree Planning Committee is excited to welcome Ms. Wendy Davis to the campus of Texas Wesleyan University on March 2, 2023.
Admission to the keynote speech is free and open to all Texas Wesleyan students, faculty and staff as well as the greater Fort Worth community.
RSVPs are required for the keynote speech and the luncheon following the seminar.
The deadline to RSVP is Feb. 23
About Wendy Davis
Wendy Davis was born on May 26, 1963 in West Warwick, R.I., and her family moved to Texas when she was 11 years old. Davis completed her bachelor's degree in English from TCU and later earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School.
After serving in a federal clerkship from 1993 to 1994, Davis moved back to Texas and joined the law office of Haynes & Boone in 1994. In 1999, she became part owner of Safeco Title Co., which was later acquired by Republic Title. After the acquisition, she became CEO of Republic Title's Fort Worth division in 2004, holding that position until 2009.
Davis served on the Fort Worth City Council from May 1999 to January 2008, when she became the District 10 State Senator, serving the greater Fort Worth area. During her time in the Senate, she was the vice-chair of the Senate Select Committee on Open Government, a member of the Senate Committee on Economic Development, the Senate Committee on Transportation and the Veteran Affairs and Military Installations Committee. She previously served on the Senate. Committee for Education and as the vice-chair of the Senate Committee on International Relations and Trade.
On June 25, 2013, Davis was catapulted to national prominence as she performed an 11-hour filibuster in protest of Senate Bill 5, which proposed additional restrictions on abortion. Her efforts, combined with the efforts of other colleagues, succeeded in delaying the bill until then-governor Rick Perry called a second special session and eventually signed the bill into law.
In 2016, she founded Deeds Not Words to give women the tools needed to turn their passion into effective action — teaching civic engagement skills to young women who use what they learn to organize, advocate for policy change and increase voter participation.
Since its founding, Deeds Not Words have given over 140 testimonies at the Capitol, 67% of which are from young women of color. They have also converted 34 bills into state law, and passed three city resolutions. Since the launch of the Changemaker program, Deeds Not Words have trained over 500 young women on majority-minority high school and college campuses, and mobilized over 300 young advocates to the Deeds Lobby Days at the Capitol.
Past Speakers
Since 1982, the Faye C. Goostree Women's Symposium has played host to dozens of important women, from business executives to writers and more.