Tarleton State's Fort Worth campus.
Officials of Tarleton State University on Wednesday announced that Rachael Capua has been appointed dean of the school’s 80-acre Fort Worth campus along the Chisholm Trail Parkway, as well as vice president for external operations.
Capua will begin her duties on March 20.
She currently serves the Tarrant To & Through Partnership as its founding director of College and Career Success. T3 teams with school districts, post-secondary institutions and community partners to support students to and through their academic journey.
Tarleton State
Rachael Capua
“Dr. Capua is passionate that all students excel through the education pipeline and thrive in today’s economy,” Tarleton President James Hurley said in a statement. “Her expertise and energy will prove instrumental in raising our profile as a premier destination for anyone seeking a university degree.”
A second-generation Mexican American and former community college student, Capua graduated with a bachelor’s degree in advertising and public relations from TCU, a master’s in education from the University of Oklahoma and a doctorate in education from SMU.
She serves on boards for the Tarrant Area Food Bank, Center for Transforming Lives, and Young Women’s Leadership Academy. She is part of Fort Worth Sister Cities International and in 2020 was appointed to the city of Fort Worth Human Relations Commission, where she has chaired the education committee.
“Tarleton is a proven leader in higher education, and I believe strongly in its mission to ensure that every student has an opportunity to reach full potential,” Capua said. “I greatly appreciate Dr. Hurley’s confidence in me and look forward to working with faculty and staff to advance and transform partnerships and programs, all while positively impacting the workforce and local economy.”
As dean of the Fort Worth campus, Capua will work with North Central Texas business and industry leaders, Tarleton faculty and staff, and community and educational partners to expand existing degree programs and add new ones.
In addition to defining Tarleton’s role as part of the new Texas A&M University System research and innovation center downtown (A&M-Fort Worth), she’ll work to expand upper-level classes on the fifth floor of Tarrant County College’s Trinity West Fork Building, continuing a long-standing commitment by both schools to provide an affordable, accessible education for students who want more than an associate degree.
As vice president of external operations, she will be responsible for the university’s online campus and outreach centers at McLennan Community College in Waco, Navarro College in Midlothian, and A&M-RELLIS in Bryan.
“Dr. Capua will bring a proven track record of leading successful education and community partnerships to this new role,” T3 Executive Director Natalie Young Williams said. “The T3 team is excited to strengthen its collaboration with Tarleton as a continued partner under her leadership.”
Prior to helping launch T3 in 2020, Capua served as the first manager of internal communications for TCC and in the Division of Student Affairs at TCU.
The first building of Tarleton’s permanent Fort Worth home opened in August 2019, and construction for building two is underway. At more than 100,000 square feet of classroom and specialized lab space, the four-story Interprofessional Education Building will address two pressing needs — increased access to quality health care and education. Move in is set for 2024.
With an enrollment near 2,200, Tarleton-Fort Worth offers more than 60 undergraduate, graduate and certificate programs to a diverse student population of working adults, community college graduates, and returning students. If growth continues as projected, the campus could enroll up to 10,000 students by 2030.
Tarleton came to Fort Worth in 1978 with eight students on West Myrtle Street, moved to the Richard C. Schaffer Building on Enderly Place in the 1990s, and expanded to the Hickman Building on Camp Bowie Boulevard in 2006.