Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star (BBBS Lone Star) is the largest Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliate in the country, measured by both kids served annually and annual operating budget. The organization serves approximately 6,500 mentoring matches and creates nearly 2,000 new matches annually, generating more than $15 million in revenue with a team of 160 dedicated staff members. BBBS Lone Star operates through a decentralized model across five Texas markets (Houston, Dallas, Tarrant County including Fort Worth, West Central Texas including Abilene and Stephenville, and Wichita County including Wichita Falls), with plans to expand to a sixth market in 2026. Jenny Harper became Chief Executive Officer in May 2026, succeeding Pierce Bush who stepped down after a decade as CEO. BBBS Lone Star's mentees who graduate high school in the program have 97.5 percent enrollment in college, employment, or military service in their first year as post-graduates. The agency was created through mergers of various Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliate agencies in 2010 and is part of the broader Big Brothers Big Sisters of America network of 230-plus affiliates serving all 50 states.
The core program is professional one-to-one mentoring across the five Texas markets. Volunteers (called "Bigs") are matched with children ages six and above (called "Littles") in structured relationships supported by professional Match Support Specialists at each market office. Matches commit to meeting for a minimum four hours per month. Match Support Specialists check in regularly with both the Big and the Little to ensure the match is going well, address any concerns, and provide ongoing program support.
Volunteer Bigs serve as mentors, advocates, resources, and guides. The relationship varies by match: some Bigs and Littles meet for outings (parks, sports games, museums), some focus on academic support (homework help, college and career exploration), some build over time into longer-term mentorship through the Little's adolescence and into adulthood. Site-based programming at schools and workplaces supplements the community-based one-to-one model.
BBBS Lone Star serves youth in five Texas markets through a decentralized leadership model. Each market has its own President leading local operations under the Lone Star Central Service Team. The market-based structure is one of the strategic distinctives that separates BBBS Lone Star from many other large affiliates: rather than centralizing operations in a single corporate office, the agency pushes responsibility into the local markets.
The Houston market is the corporate headquarters market and includes the Greater Houston metropolitan area in southeast Texas. Houston is the largest single market by youth served and includes the $8 million new headquarters building near downtown Houston constructed during Pierce Bush's tenure as CEO. Pierce Bush had previously served as Houston Regional Board member starting in 2012 and led the Houston market through 65 percent growth in youth served before becoming Lone Star CEO.
The Dallas market serves Collin County, Denton County, and Dallas County in North Texas. Dallas is one of the agency's largest markets. Jenny Harper served as Dallas Market President from 2019 until her appointment as Lone Star CEO in May 2026. During her tenure in Dallas, the organization strengthened community partnerships, increased volunteer engagement, and expanded support services for youth and families.
The Tarrant County market serves Fort Worth and surrounding North Texas including the broader DFW Metroplex on the western side of the metropolitan area. The West Central Texas market serves Abilene, Stephenville, and surrounding communities; this market reaches into rural and small-city Texas where many other large youth-serving nonprofits have limited presence. The Wichita County market serves Wichita Falls and surrounding north-central Texas; Jean Hall serves as Wichita Falls Market President. A sixth market expansion is planned for 2026.
97.5 percent of BBBS Lone Star mentees who graduate high school in the program are enrolling in college, employed, or enlisted in the military in their first year as post-graduates. The metric is among the strongest performance outcomes in the BBBSA national network. The Vision 2x22 strategic plan launched under Pierce Bush's leadership drove the agency's commitment to outcomes; the staff's hard work has helped achieve success for Texas kids.
Outcome measurement at BBBS Lone Star tracks the longer-term trajectory of mentees beyond simply the match relationship itself. The professional case management approach distinguishes BBBSA-network mentoring from informal mentoring; the structured outcome tracking distinguishes Lone Star from many other BBBSA affiliates that lack the data infrastructure to follow mentees through high school graduation and into early adulthood.
Jenny Harper became Chief Executive Officer of Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star in May 2026, effective immediately upon announcement. Harper began her career at BBBS more than 20 years ago when she served on the organization's programs team in the North Texas area. In 2019, she was promoted to Dallas Market President, leading one of the agency's largest markets. During her tenure in Dallas, the organization strengthened community partnerships, increased volunteer engagement, and expanded support services for youth and families.
Harper described her transition into the CEO role: "Twenty-three years of service with Big Brothers Big Sisters has shaped my life and developed my leadership. I am honored to step into the role of CEO to lead this great mission into the next century of service in Texas. Every day, our mentors, staff and volunteers change the trajectory of young people's lives through the power of consistent, caring relationships."
Harper succeeded Pierce Bush, the grandson of President George H.W. Bush, who served as CEO from August 2015 through May 2026. Pierce Bush became the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star in August 2015 with the vision to build on the consolidated agency's potential and impact more children across the state of Texas. During his ten-year tenure as CEO, Pierce substantially increased the number of kids served, implemented the decentralized leadership model that pushes responsibility into the local markets, built a fortress balance sheet, constructed the brand-new $8 million Houston building, and developed an organization where all teammates could learn and grow in their careers.
BBBS Lone Star was created through mergers of various Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliate agencies in 2010. The consolidation was one of the larger BBBSA-network affiliate mergers in the past two decades. The consolidated agency replaced several separate Texas affiliates that had operated independently across Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, and other Texas cities.
In 2016, in Pierce Bush's first full calendar year as CEO, the consolidated Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star agency turned a corner financially and celebrated a cash flow positive year for the first time since Lone Star was created through the 2010 mergers. The cash-flow positive milestone signaled the success of the consolidation strategy: better economies of scale, more sophisticated fundraising operations, and the decentralized market model that retained local community relationships while leveraging the central service team's specialized expertise.
Predecessor agencies in some Texas cities date back to the 1920s, making the Lone Star service tradition close to a century old in some markets. The "nearly century-long mission" framing in the agency's CEO search announcement reflects this institutional heritage from the merged predecessor affiliates.
To become a Big with BBBS Lone Star, visit bbbstx.org and click the "Be Big" link to start your volunteer application. The screening process includes application, references, background check, interviews, and orientation. Bigs commit to meeting with their Little for a minimum four hours per month. The four-hour minimum is one of the lower commitment requirements in the BBBSA network, reflecting Lone Star's strategy of broadening the volunteer pool.
Activities range widely. Community-based matches do outings (parks, sports games, library visits, museum trips, fishing, hiking, cooking, sporting events). Site-based matches meet at schools (school-based mentoring during the school day or after-school programming), workplaces (corporate partner programs where Bigs and Littles meet at the corporate office), or community centers. Site-based programs require less time and travel commitment than community-based.
The Lone Star Central Service Team supports volunteer recruitment with shared messaging, marketing materials, and digital infrastructure across all five markets. Each market then handles its own local volunteer onboarding, matching, and ongoing case management. Match Support Specialists are professional staff (not volunteers) who maintain regular contact with each match.
Families can enroll children ages six and above in BBBS Lone Star programming. Visit bbbstx.org and click the link to enroll your child. The enrollment process includes information about the child, the family situation, the child's interests and needs, and any specific mentoring goals. The market matching specialist then identifies a Big whose background, interests, and availability best match the Little's profile.
Many Lone Star Littles are referred by schools, social workers, faith communities, or other professionals. Schools are a particularly important referral source given the site-based mentoring programs that operate during school hours or after-school programming. School partnerships allow teachers and counselors to identify children who would benefit from a mentor and connect families directly with BBBS Lone Star enrollment staff.
Donations can be made at bbbstx.org/donate, by mail to the BBBS Lone Star Houston headquarters, or directly to one of the five market offices. The decentralized model means donors can specify their preferred Texas market (Houston, Dallas, Tarrant County, West Central Texas, or Wichita County) for designated giving.
Corporate partnerships are central to Lone Star's fundraising model. Major Texas-based corporations have repeat partnerships with the agency; the new Executive Board members like Matt Bishop (chief technology officer of Global Advisory for KPMG, dedicated Dallas Market volunteer for many years) and Bob Gendron (CEO and Founder of CREF) reflect the agency's pattern of recruiting accomplished business leaders to support fundraising and governance.
Annual fundraising events include Bowl for Kids Sake (the largest single fundraising event format across the BBBSA network), gala dinners in each market, and community-specific fundraising drives. Planned giving, donor-advised fund gifts, and major gift opportunities are coordinated through the Central Service Team. The $15 million annual revenue makes BBBS Lone Star one of the larger youth-serving nonprofits in Texas.
BBBS Lone Star files its own Form 990 separately from Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. As one of the larger BBBSA affiliates, the financial profile reflects substantial program services investment in match support, case management, and the decentralized market operations. The decentralized model means staffing costs are distributed across the five markets rather than concentrated at the Houston headquarters, which keeps the local relationships strong but increases overall payroll relative to a centralized model.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America at the national level earned a 4/4 Star Charity Navigator rating, and most large BBBSA affiliates including Lone Star maintain similar high financial efficiency ratings. The fortress balance sheet that Rob Bowlby (Chair of the Executive Board) credited Pierce Bush with building reflects sustained fundraising success and conservative financial management over the past decade.
For pure scale of youth-serving nonprofit infrastructure in Texas, Boys and Girls Clubs of America affiliates serve more children annually through Texas-based clubs. For one-to-one structured mentoring specifically, however, BBBS Lone Star is the largest single agency in Texas with 6,500 active matches and nearly 2,000 new matches annually. Other Texas BBBS affiliates (such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas serving Austin, BBBS of South Texas, BBBS of the Permian Basin) operate separately from Lone Star.
The BBBS Lone Star advantages: the decentralized five-market model with local Market Presidents in each major Texas city, the new Houston headquarters infrastructure, the 97.5 percent post-graduation outcome metric, the institutional scale ($15M revenue, 160 staff) supporting professional match management, the integration with the broader 230-plus-affiliate BBBSA national network, and the consolidated agency efficiency from the 2010 mergers.
Practical framing: for parents looking for a structured mentor for their child in Texas, BBBS Lone Star is the largest one-to-one mentoring agency available. For adults looking to mentor a young person in Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Abilene, Stephenville, or Wichita Falls, BBBS Lone Star offers the deepest infrastructure of vetted matches, ongoing professional support, and program quality. For donors interested in youth mentoring as a cause in Texas, BBBS Lone Star represents the largest and most established channel for that giving.
Last updated May 2026. Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star as the largest BBBS affiliate in the country measured by both kids served and annual operating budget from the BBBS Lone Star Pierce Bush press release March 2026 and the BBBS Lone Star About Us page (bbbstx.org/about/). 6,500 active mentoring matches plus nearly 2,000 new matches annually plus 5 million in revenue plus 160 staff members plus five Texas markets with sixth planned 2026 expansion from the same About Us page. Five markets Houston Dallas Tarrant County West Central Texas Wichita County from the BBBS Lone Star homepage (bbbstx.org). Jenny Harper as new CEO May 2026 with 23+ years at BBBS and 2019 promotion to Dallas Market President, Pierce Bush stepping down after decade as CEO from August 2015 through May 2026, Rob Bowlby as Chair of the Executive Board, from the KTXS Abilene Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star Jenny Harper CEO May 2026 article, the AOL Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star Jenny Harper article, the Texoma's Homepage article, the News Channel 6 article, and the BBBS Lone Star Pierce Bush press release. Pierce Bush as grandson of George H.W. Bush, started as volunteer mentor to Jaylyn in 2009, Houston Regional Board member 2012, joined staff full-time October 2012, oversaw 65 percent Houston market growth, million Houston HQ construction, Vision 2x22 strategic plan, 97.5 percent post-graduation outcome, 2016 cash flow positive milestone since 2010 consolidation, BA American Studies University of Texas Austin, from The Org Pierce Bush page. Executive Board members Matt Bishop (Dallas, chief technology officer of Global Advisory for KPMG), Bob Gendron (Dallas, CEO and Founder of CREF), Lauren Peschier (The Woodlands, Vice President of Geology at Arena Energy) from the BBBS Lone Star Executive Board press release August 2023 and Dallas LinkedIn page. Jean Hall as Wichita Falls Market President. Texas youth mentoring nonprofit sector references including other BBBS affiliates (Central Texas Austin, South Texas, Permian Basin) operating separately from Lone Star. We are not affiliated with Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star and receive no compensation for this listing. Errors: [email protected]
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