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Presented by Honorary Chairs
The Cooley Family
40th Anniversary Sponsor
Annette G. Strauss Community Service Award Recipients
Janie McGarr & Nancy Halbreich
Click here to view our 2026 Luncheon Sponsors.
About the Speaker
George W. Bush served as 43rd President of the United States of America from 2001 to 2009. As Commander in Chief, President Bush worked to expand freedom, opportunity, and security at home and abroad. At home, he championed the No Child Left Behind Act to raise standards in schools and cut taxes for every federal income taxpayer, restoring economic growth and launching an unprecedented 52 straight months of job creation. The Bush Administration also negotiated new free trade agreements, worked with Congress to pass landmark healthcare reforms, and instituted robust environmental protections. Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, President Bush responded with a comprehensive strategy to protect the American people. Under his leadership, the United States built global coalitions to remove violent regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq that threatened America and provided unprecedented support for young democracies and dissidents around the world. President Bush also launched global HIV/AIDS and malaria initiatives that have saved millions of lives, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to serving as President, he was the 46th Governor of Texas from 1995-2000.
After the Presidency, President and Mrs. Bush founded the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas, a nonpartisan organization advancing the timeless values of freedom, opportunity, accountability, and compassion. The Bush Center comprises the George W. Bush Presidential Library, which is operated by the National Archives and Records Administration, as well as the George W. Bush Presidential Museum and the George W. Bush Institute, a nonpartisan public policy and leadership development center that engages communities across the United States and around the world by developing leaders, advancing policy, and taking action to solve today’s most pressing challenges.
President Bush is the author of four bestselling books: Decision Points (2010), 41: A Portrait of My Father (2014), Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors (2017), and Out of Many, One: Portraits of America’s Immigrants (2021). He and Laura are the parents of twin daughters: Barbara, married to Craig Coyne, and Jenna, married to Henry Hager. The Bushes also are the proud grandparents of Margaret Laura “Mila”, Poppy Louise, Henry Harold “Hal” Hager, and Cora Georgia and Edward Finn Coyne.
About the Award Recipients
At the luncheon, we will honor Janie McGarr and Nancy Halbreich, daughters of our founder, Annette G. Strauss, with the Annette G. Strauss Community Service Award for their work in helping transform our community.
Janie McGarr
Janie Strauss McGarr is a respected Dallas civic leader whose decades of volunteer service have strengthened nonprofits across North Texas. She currently serves on the Advisory Board of the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life at The University of Texas at Austin, and the Advisory Board of Family Gateway, supporting families experiencing homelessness.
A Life Trustee and former board chair of The Hockaday School, Janie has also provided leadership to organizations including Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, KERA, The Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center, Girls Adventure Trails, and numerous education, arts, and human services nonprofits. She has chaired several of Dallas’s most significant philanthropic events, helping to raise vital resources for the community.
A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of UT Austin and a graduate of the UT School of Law, Janie practiced law before dedicating herself to raising her daughters and to civic service. Her enduring commitment to leadership, education, and family well-being has made a lasting impact on the Dallas community.
Nancy Halbreich
Nancy Strauss Halbreich is a distinguished Dallas philanthropist and civic leader whose volunteer leadership has strengthened arts, education, health care, and social-service institutions across North Texas. She currently serves as a trustee of the Hamon Foundation and on the Advisory Board of Family Gateway, supporting families experiencing homelessness. She previously served as a trustee of the Dallas Museum of Art and Hockaday School and served on the Board of Regents of the University of North Texas.
Nancy has chaired and co-chaired major philanthropic initiatives and signature Dallas events, helping to raise critical resources for medical research, public health, and cultural institutions. Her leadership and service have been recognized with numerous honors, including SMU’s J. Erik Jonsson Ethics Award and VolunteerNow’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
A passionate advocate for community impact and civic responsibility, Nancy’s generosity and leadership continue to leave a lasting mark on the Dallas community.