{"id":3667,"date":"2026-06-04T21:05:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T21:05:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/foundation\/?page_id=3667"},"modified":"2026-06-04T21:05:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T21:05:21","slug":"message-from-the-coo","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/foundation\/about-us\/message-from-the-coo\/","title":{"rendered":"Message from the Foundation COO"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Trish<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tarleton Alumna Bleeds Purple for the Tarleton State University Foundation, Inc.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As a first-generation college graduate, Tarleton State University MPA graduate, and proud Tarleton alumna, I am excited to join the devoted Tarleton State University Foundation, Inc. team as Chief Operating Officer. What an incredible opportunity to help expand the Foundation\u2019s infrastructure, build upon its strong relationship with Tarleton State University, highlight the successes of our scholarship recipients, and support the vision for the future of Tarleton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is inspiring to hear student success stories as educational opportunities arise through the generosity of dedicated Tarleton supporters. I am excited to be a part of a team that moves mountains to make way for students who seek to improve their lives through higher education. Last year alone, the Foundation distributed more than five hundred scholarships to aspiring young students who believed higher education was unattainable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I understand first-hand the importance of earning an advanced degree. I was once a young student who believed a college education was out of reach. Yet, I pressed on, without help, one small educational chunk at a time because I believed in myself. Failing was not an option. It did not matter to me how long it would take. It did not matter that the road I traveled was laden with roadblocks. It only mattered that I kept trying. It only mattered that along with the small losses, I experienced tangible success. And as the hurdles became further and fewer in between, success became more attainable, and that path led me to earn not only a baccalaureate degree, but also a master\u2019s degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That long, arduous path is the reason I am here today. I believe in the next generation of students who know in their hearts that they can achieve the impossible, if afforded the right opportunity. Because of my personal experience, I have an innate desire to see next generation of students believe the impossible is, in fact, possible. And as Tarleton grows, it is exciting to be part of a Foundation that plays a critical role in supporting the university team as they do what they do best \u2013 transform the lives of students through excellence in education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am grateful to be part of a greater success story, brought to life by a dynamic team of professionals who dedicate themselves to providing determined students access to opportunity. I am thankful that, although I traversed this road to educational excellence through a much longer journey than most students in my era, I can inspire students to achieve their dreams through strengthening the Foundation and supporting Tarleton State University’s vision. And I am proud to join a resolute team that has spent years bringing Tarleton\u2019s initiatives and strategic plans to life and I look forward to discovering what is on the horizon for the Foundation, Tarleton, and our future Tarleton State University Alumni.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trish Burwell, MPA, Chief Operating Officer – Tarleton State University Foundation, Inc.<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tarleton Alumna Bleeds Purple for the Tarleton State University Foundation, Inc. As a first-generation college graduate, Tarleton State University MPA graduate, and proud Tarleton alumna, I am excited to join …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1096,"featured_media":0,"parent":2964,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"functions-assets\/subsite-hero-page-template.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","_wds_title":"","_wds_metadesc":"","_wds_focus-keywords":"","_wds_meta-robots-adv":"","_wds_meta-robots-noindex":false,"_wds_meta-robots-nofollow":false,"_wds_meta-robots-index":false,"_wds_meta-robots-follow":false,"_wds_autolinks-exclude":false,"_wds_canonical":"","_wds_redirect":"","_wds_opengraph":[],"_wds_twitter":[],"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3667","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"coauthors":[],"author_meta":{"author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/foundation\/author\/pburwell\/","display_name":"pburwell"},"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 8 hours ago","modified":"Updated 8 hours ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on June 4, 2026","modified":"Updated on June 4, 2026"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on June 4, 2026 9:05 pm","modified":"Updated on June 4, 2026 9:05 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","featured_img":false,"series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/foundation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3667","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/foundation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/foundation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/foundation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1096"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/foundation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3667"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/foundation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3667\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3676,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/foundation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3667\/revisions\/3676"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/foundation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/foundation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3667"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}