TWU launches Nancy P. and Thaddeus E. Paup Lecture Series

TWU and The Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership launched the Nancy P. and Thaddeus E. Paup Lecture Series on Sept. 19 at Ashton Gardens in Corinth, Texas. Created through a donation from alumna and former Regent Nancy Paup and her husband Ted, the series kicked off with a talk by Kathryn Childers, who was hired in 1970 as one of the first five female U.S. Secret Service agents.

In this role, Childers protected the president, first family and foreign heads of state, as well as Caroline and John F. Kennedy, Jr. Later, she became a broadcast journalist, author and publisher, philanthropist, wife, mother and award-winning community advocate.

In her talk “Do it Scared,” Childers shared her life story while encouraging attendees to identify and own their personal “scared,” what she called the first step to courage.

“Nancy and I find it fitting that someone of Kathryn’s stature be invited to serve as the inaugural speaker for this new lecture series,” Ted Paup said. “We want to bring bold, innovative and renowned female leaders to the area to share their insights with the community.”

Childers also gave a talk titled “What’s in Your Backpack?” to TWU students on campus in the Student Union. She showed students how to leverage their “backpack of experience,” nail an interview and get their resumes noticed.

The Paups, who reside in Fort Worth, are longtime supporters of TWU. Nancy, a former TWU regent who received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from the university, is a fundraising consultant and former corporate relations and membership manager of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art. She currently serves on the Advisory Council for the Institute for Women’s Leadership. She also previously served as a board member of the TWU Foundation. Ted is the president of Paup Mineral Management, L.L.C.