Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is asking for the resignation of Alamo Belief Inc. President and CEO Kate Rogers, citing “troubling” previous writings he says are “incompatible with the telling of the historical past of the battle of the Alamo.”
The Alamo Belief has been underneath new scrutiny after a since-deleted social media submit honoring “Indigenous Peoples and their communities” and “their historical past on the Alamo” went viral earlier this month.
On Thursday, Patrick pointed to writings from Rogers’ dissertation for her doctoral work, which she completed in 2023, however he mentioned had solely just lately been “found.”
Rogers wrote on the time that she usually disagreed with the state’s efforts to manage what’s taught within the classroom — efforts which have solely ramped up since President Donald Trump returned to workplace originally of this yr.
She additionally famous the problem of balancing her personal private political opinions these of the state’s conservative-dominated legislature, the place Patrick has performed a serious position in steering state cash towards the Alamo’s redevelopment.
“Personally, I might like to see the Alamo turn into a beacon of historic reconciliation, and place that brings individuals collectively as a substitute of tearing them aside,” she wrote. However politically, “that might not be attainable.”
Rogers mentioned Thursday she had no remark to supply presently.
Regionally, she’s been lauded for her work balancing the wishes of conservative state leaders holding the purse strings with these of a blue metropolis that additionally feels a lot possession over how the Alamo’s historical past is introduced.
Only a yr in the past they had been all collectively in San Antonio, celebrating the groundbreaking of the brand new Alamo Customer Middle and Museum.
“God introduced collectively this puzzle of individuals from totally different walks of life, of various political events, and we got here collectively on the proper time,” Patrick mentioned at that occasion.
The Alamo Belief is overseen by its board of administrators, which simply promoted Rogers from government director to president and CEO in August. However as Rogers famous in her dissertation, the Alamo is underneath management of the Texas Common Land Workplace, which retains them on a brief leash.
“The employees there’s closely concerned practically each choice I make,” Rogers wrote. “Particularly those who may have political implications for the [Land] Commissioner and his or her employees members, who’re at all times on excessive alert.”
To her level, earlier this month the Belief’s Indigenous Peoples day submit on X caught the eye of the conservative media outlet Texas Scorecard, which flagged it for Land Commissioner Daybreak Buckingham.
Buckingham instantly responded that “woke has no place” on the Alamo, and that “we will likely be holding these accountable accountable.”
That was Oct. 14.
By Oct. 23, Patrick mentioned in a letter to the Alamo Belief’s board of administrators that he’d notified Rogers about his considerations.
“I prompt she supply her resignation earlier than the board considers the matter,” he mentioned.
