T.L.L. Temple Foundation President & CEO Charlie Glover recently presented a program for the Livingston Lions Club in which he shared insights into the work of the foundation and its commitment to strengthening rural East Texas through investments in education, economic opportunity, health, and community development.
In his role as president and CEO of the T.L.L. Temple Foundation, Glover leads the foundation’s strategic direction, community partnerships, and investments across East Texas, working to build thriving communities and reduce poverty throughout the region.
The mission of the T.L.L. Temple Foundation is to work alongside communities to build a thriving rural East Texas.
Glover reviewed the foundation’s five core values.
The first is spirit of generosity. “We approach our work with openness, kindness, and the assumption of good intent. We share credit, support one another, and extend trust,” Glover said.
The second is learning and continuous improvement. “We stay curious, seek feedback, and turn challenges into opportunities for growth,” he said.
The third is pursuit of impact. “We focus on outcomes that matter, aligning time and resources toward what serves East Texans most in need,” he said.
The fourth is respecting the past and building the future. “We understand and appreciate all that came before us and use forward thinking to continue growing opportunities and impact,” he said.
The fifth is service before self. “We operate as a team and seek to act cohesively. Individual contributions lead to team solutions,” Glover said.
The T.L.L. Temple Foundation was established in 1962 with an original gift from Georgie Temple Munz in honor of her father, Thomas Lewis Latané Temple. Headquartered in Lufkin, it has provided 64 years of service to East Texas through five grantmaking areas supporting what East Texas communities need most. The foundation serves 24 counties – 23 in rural East Texas and one in Arkansas.
“Since 1962, we have invested over $632 million in grants supporting local healthcare systems, public schools, workforce programs, and civic organizations. Over $8 million has gone specifically to Polk County,” Glover said.
“As we enter a new planning chapter, one this is not changing and that is our relentless focus on our commitment to this community,” he said.
Twenty percent of the foundation’s total giving goes to healthcare. As for economic opportunities across the region, Glover said a livable wage is the long-term solution the foundation strives for, in addition to essential community infrastructure such as water, broadband and housing.
The foundation’s support for education across the region includes priorities such as early literacy and numeracy, post-secondary success and workforce development, educational supports and a residency model for teachers, a newer model that is resource intensive because retention is a problem.
“The challenges facing rural East Texas don’t fit neatly into one playbook. We need adaptability. We need to deploy different strategies for different landscapes, and learning as we go. It doesn’t have to be an either/or way of thinking. It can be an and/both,” Glover said.
“Now we’re looking forward. We want to build on assets we put in place years ago. There’s different needs, industries, people civic structures. We should be fully leveraging our philanthropic challenge,” he said.
“Solutions start local. Most central to local solutions are local leaders, local nonprofits, local networks and collaborations, and local businesses,” Glover said, as he encouraged everyone to take the survey located on the foundation’s website at tlltemple.foundation/operational-plan/.
Before joining the T.L.L. Temple Foundation, Glover served as vice president of grants for The Meadows Foundation, one of Texas’ largest philanthropies. His career has also included leadership roles with Bellwether Education Partners, Dallas ISD, and Teach For America Dallas-Fort Worth, which he helped establish as its founding executive director.
A graduate of Texas A&M University and Harvard University, Glover has dedicated his career to creating opportunities for individuals and communities. His leadership and service have earned recognition across Texas, including being named to the Dallas Business Journal’s “40 Under 40.”
