Barbara Calhoun Cargill

B.S.Ed. ’82, Conroe, Texas

Career Experience

Barbara Calhoun Cargill served for 16 years on the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE), retiring from public office in December 2020. She is the founder and director of Wonders of the Woodlands (WOW) Science Camp, a faith-based program established in 1994 that has taught character education and hands-on science to thousands of children. Cargill earned a Master of Science in Education from Texas Woman’s University in 1992. She is president of Cargill Consulting & Training LLC and is a Texas Early Childhood Registered Trainer.

Board Experience

Cargill was elected to four terms on the Texas SBOE, during which time Gov. Rick Perry twice appointed her as chair of the board (2011-2015). Fellow SBOE members elected her to chair four other committees during her tenure. She currently is on the boards of The Woodlands [Texas] Methodist School, Houston’s Interlinc Family Foundation and Village Church’s Sangre de Cristo Lodge in New Mexico.

Awards and Honors

In 2020, Gov. Greg Abbott conferred upon Cargill the Commission of the Yellow Rose of Texas, the highest award bestowed to women by the Texas governor for exceptional community service. Recognized as a Scholar by the American Enterprise Institute’s Conservative Education Reform Network in 2021, Cargill has also received the “Thanks to Teachers” National Excellence Award, the Exceptional Support of Americanism Award from Daughters of the American Revolution and the Lifetime Faithful Servant Award given by Texas Values.

Baylor Philanthropy

In 2021, Cargill and her husband Terry, B.B.A. ’82, funded the Barbara and Terry Cargill Endowed Scholarship, which supports students in Baylor’s School of Education. She has also sponsored the Montgomery County [Texas] Baylor Club and was a member of the Baylor Mom’s Club as the proud mother of a third-generation Baylor Bear.

Church/Christian Mission Affiliations

Cargill and her husband are members of The Wood- lands Methodist Church, where she directs the outreach ministry WOW Science Camp. She previously was a Sunday school teacher and youth group assistant, and she currently volunteers with food distribution, senior meal delivery and book collection ministries for needy children. Since 2011, Cargill has served on the gala committee for Habitat for Humanity Montgomery County.

The Candidates

For a complete guide to the nomination and election process, visit alumniregents.web.baylor.edu