FWC to Present Award at Annual State of the County Event

FORT WORTH, Texas – Texas A&M-Fort Worth, whose presence in the city has expanded from a law school acquired in 2013 into a growing downtown campus for higher education, research, workforce development, and industry collaboration, has been named the Fort Worth Chamber’s 2026 Vandergriff Award recipient.

Established in 2011 in memory of former Tarrant County Judge Tom Vandergriff, the award honors an individual or organization whose contributions positively impact Tarrant County on a national scale. Recipients reflect Vandergriff’s legacy through support of the community, integrity in business, and collaboration with the city, county, and regional business community.

The 2026 Vandergriff Award will be presented by BNSF Railway during the Chamber’s State of the County luncheon on Wednesday, Oct. 14, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at River Ranch Stockyards, 500 N.E. 23rd St. The State of the County is presented by Baylor Scott & White.

During the luncheon, Tarrant County Judge Tim O’Hare will deliver his 2026 State of the County address, followed by an onstage interview with Brian C. Newby, managing partner of Cantey Hanger LLP and past chair of the Fort Worth Chamber.

Robert B. Ahdieh, Vice President for Professional Schools & Programs at Texas A&M University and Chief Operating Officer of Texas A&M-Fort Worth, will accept the Vandergriff Award and deliver remarks on behalf of Texas A&M.

Ahdieh is also Dean of the Texas A&M School of Law, where Texas A&M’s Fort Worth story began. When the university acquired the private law school in 2013, it was unranked nationally. Today, it ranks No. 22 in the country and serves more than 2,000 students across its JD and other legal studies programs.

But the law school was only the beginning of Texas A&M’s ambitions in Fort Worth.

In August, the Texas A&M University System opened the first building in a planned, much larger downtown campus. The eight-story Law & Education Building is already home to academic programs from Texas A&M University and Tarleton State University in fields including law, engineering, business and health, along with six of Texas A&M’s state agencies. A second building, dedicated to research and industry collaboration, is now under construction, and the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents recently approved plans to move forward with a third building, which will house a cutting-edge virtual production studio. Current campus plans envision two further buildings. But even those buildings represent just part of a larger vision extending beyond the campus itself.

“Our aspiration is to elevate Fort Worth as a higher education community at the national level,” Ahdieh said. “We want to build on our strengths and the strengths of the institutions that are already here — creating opportunities for each of us to make the others more successful, all while extending the impact of higher education well beyond the classroom.”

As part of that broader effort, the Switchyard Innovation District taking shape around the developing downtown campus is a public-private initiative designed to connect higher education with Fort Worth companies and partners, building a strong talent base, fostering innovation, and driving economic growth.

For Ahdieh, the award carries particular significance, because it reflects a mutual recognition of the values Texas A&M and Fort Worth share.

“If we had looked across the entire country to find a community that shared our values, sense of history and tradition, and high ambitions, Fort Worth would still have been the best choice,” Ahdieh said. “To receive this honor from the Fort Worth Chamber means the community is saying the same about us. That is an extraordinary affirmation of the relationship that we have been building together.”

“Texas A&M-Fort Worth represents the kind of collaborative investment the Vandergriff Award was created to recognize,” said Steve Montgomery, president and CEO of the Fort Worth Chamber. “This is a major, Tier 1 research university bringing national-scale institutions and resources to Fort Worth while working alongside our businesses, existing universities, city, and county. The impact will be felt through our talent, our economy, and Fort Worth’s national profile for decades to come.”

The 2026 State of the County luncheon will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., with check-in and networking beginning at 11 a.m. For details, or to register, visit State of the County 2026 at fortworthchamber.com.

ABOUT TEXAS A&M-FORT WORTH

Texas A&M-Fort Worth is The Texas A&M University System’s multidisciplinary campus

in downtown Fort Worth, bringing together education, research and industry to solve

real challenges and prepare tomorrow’s workforce. As the academic and research

anchor of the emerging Switchyard Innovation District, the campus unites three Texas

A&M System universities and six state agencies to advance innovation, strengthen

strategic partnerships and support the continued growth of Fort Worth, North Texas and

the state.

For more information, visit fort-worth.tamus.edu.

ABOUT THE FORT WORTH CHAMBER

The Fort Worth Chamber, with more than 1,250 member businesses, serves as the leading voice of the business community in one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation. Through its core functions of leadership, engagement, and advocacy, the Chamber’s mission is to bring the Fort Worth region together to identify issues, solve problems and align resources, resulting in a stronger business climate and greater economic prosperity for all. For more information, visit fortworthchamber.com.

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