About the Texas School Coalition

Missy Bender became the Executive Director of the Texas School Coalition in 2024.  She represents the interests of students, schools, and communities that seek to balance sustainable state and local investments in schools. Missy is a proud product of the Texas public school system, and she is a former school board President and a trusted advocate for public education in Texas. Prior to leading the Coalition, Missy served as Raise Your Hand Texas’ Regional Advocacy Director for Collin and Denton counties as well as the group’s Trustee in Residence.  Missy served on the Plano ISD Board of Trustees for 13 years, including three years as Board President.

During her time as a trustee, Bender received the Outstanding Leadership Award from the Texas Association of School Boards, was recognized as a Girl Boss by Plano Magazine, received the Distinguished Leadership Award by Leadership Plano, and was named Citizen of the Year by the Plano Chamber of Commerce. She is also a former management consultant at IBM, where she specialized in developing strategic planning and technology solutions with manufacturing clients and earned the Golden Circle designation.