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Hockaday Announces 2025 Commencement Speaker
The Hockaday School is pleased to announce Dr. Kara C. Allen as the 2025 Commencement Speaker.
Dr. Allen currently serves as the Chief People, Impact & Belonging Officer at Spurs Sports & Entertainment (SS&E) and as Executive Director of Spurs Give, SS&E’s nonprofit arm. Kara has led complex, people-rooted, cultural transformation, designed the first impact-rooted Sponsorship strategy, co-designed player off-court holistic development programming, and secured the team’s former practice facility as the first-of-its-kind Impact Center, which will serve as a global model for sustainable impact with community at the center. In response to her leadership of the Spurs’ embrace of healing within the Uvalde community, the San Antonio Spurs were also recognized with an ESPY Award as Humanitarian Team of the Year.
Dr. Allen’s academic credentials include a Doctorate in Educational Leadership for Social Justice from Loyola Marymount University and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Southern California. She obtained her bachelor's degree at Purdue University and now sits on various nonprofit boards and moderates fellowship experiences at both the Pahara Institute and The Aspen Institute.
She is motivated by leading change with empathy and urgency, solving complex problems, navigating seemingly intractable inequity, partnering with troublemakers for good, and breaking bread together. She has jumped off the highest bungy-jump in the world, donated a kidney to a stranger, and has never eaten ketchup. She loves tea, Twizzlers, and early mornings. She is also a pretty big fan of her 11-year-old daughter, her partner, a WNBA legend and current head coach of Tennessee State Women’s Basketball Team, and her partner’s 7-year-old twin daughters.
Dr. Allen’s academic credentials include a Doctorate in Educational Leadership for Social Justice from Loyola Marymount University and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Southern California. She obtained her bachelor's degree at Purdue University and now sits on various nonprofit boards and moderates fellowship experiences at both the Pahara Institute and The Aspen Institute.
She is motivated by leading change with empathy and urgency, solving complex problems, navigating seemingly intractable inequity, partnering with troublemakers for good, and breaking bread together. She has jumped off the highest bungy-jump in the world, donated a kidney to a stranger, and has never eaten ketchup. She loves tea, Twizzlers, and early mornings. She is also a pretty big fan of her 11-year-old daughter, her partner, a WNBA legend and current head coach of Tennessee State Women’s Basketball Team, and her partner’s 7-year-old twin daughters.
Eugene McDermott Head of School Dr. Laura Leathers remarked, “I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Allen to Hockaday as our 2025 Commencement speaker. Her passion for solving complex problems, supporting women, and her desire to make the world a better place inspires us all. She truly exemplifies Hockaday’s commitment to educating girls to lead lives of purpose and impact.”
The Hockaday School
Within the private school community, The Hockaday School is an independent college-preparatory day school for girls from grades PK–12 located in Dallas, Texas. Students realize their limitless potential through challenging academic curricula, arts, athletics, and extracurricular programs so that they are inspired to lead lives of purpose and impact.
The Hockaday School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, creed, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law in the administration of its educational, admissions, financial aid, athletic, and other policies and programs.
The Hockaday School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, creed, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law in the administration of its educational, admissions, financial aid, athletic, and other policies and programs.