As the need for lifelong brain health has never been more urgent, a new group of community leaders is stepping forward to expand awareness, engagement and impact across North Texas and beyond.Center for BrainHealth at UT Dallas has appointed new members to its 2026-27 Advisory Board, bringing together leaders from business, health care, science, technology, real estate and philanthropy who share a commitment to advancing brain health for all.United by the belief that brain health is essential to quality of life, these volunteer leaders will champion the center’s mission to transform the way people understand, protect and strengthen their brains throughout life. Through advocacy, partnership-building and community engagement, they will help connect more individuals, families and organizations to BrainHealth’s science-backed tools and strategies, empowering people to thrive at every age and stage of life.
New board members for 2026-27:
After serving as vice chair for the past two years, Craig Kennington , partner at Kennington Commercial, begins his two-year term as board chair, with longtime board member and BrainHealth advocate Andy Walsh serving as vice chair.Together, Craig and Andy are leading a vision centered on deepening community engagement and expanding access to brain health knowledge and resources. Under their leadership, the Advisory Board will focus on strengthening connections between the center and the communities it serves, inspiring more individuals, families and organizations to make brain health a lifelong priority.
About Center for BrainHealth
Center for BrainHealth ® , part of The University of Texas at Dallas, is a nonprofit translational research institute committed to enhancing, preserving, and restoring brain health across the lifespan. Major research areas include the use of functional and structural neuroimaging techniques to better understand the neurobiology supporting the continual growth of cognition, well-being and social connections in health and disease. This leading-edge scientific exploration is translated quickly into practical innovations to improve how people think, work and live, empowering people of all ages to thrive and unlock their brain potential. Translational innovations leverage 1) the BrainHealth Index , a proprietary measure that uniquely charts one's upward (or downward) brain health trajectory whatever their starting level; and 2) Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Tactics ( SMART™ ) brain health training, a strategy-based toolkit developed and tested by BrainHealth researchers and other teams over three decades. The center's landmark longitudinal study, The BrainHealth Project , launched in 2020 with the goal of identifying actionable strategies for optimizing brain health throughout life, uncovering the dynamic relationship between lifestyle factors, biological markers, brain training and cognitive performance. It is co-led by Dr. Sandi Chapman , Dr. Mark D'Esposito , Dr. Geoff Ling , Dr. Ian Robertson , Dr. Vince Calhoun and Tom Leppert , with Georgeann and Adm. William McRaven (ret.) serving as national spokespersons.