The Leading to Win Texas Foundation successfully hosted Leading2Win 2025: Bridging the Gap, a four-day leadership event held September 11–14 across venues in Austin and Round Rock, Texas. The gathering brought together service members, veterans, spouses, employers, military supporters and community leaders while facilitating new connections, shared expertise and strengthened resilience across generations and sectors.
Joseph Kopser, L2W Planning Chair and Leading to Win Texas Foundation Board Chair and Co-Founder, emphasized the event's significance, stating that Leading to Win is about bridging the gap between military and civilian life, across generations and sectors, so that we can strengthen our communities together. The event's growing attendance numbers demonstrate the increasing importance of such initiatives in today's society.
Event highlights included nearly 60 attendees at the 9/11 Memorial Reception at American Legion Post 76 featuring musical guest Monte Warden, and over 250 participants at the Friday Conference & Resource Fair at Dell Diamond. The conference featured 51 Subject Matter Experts powered by Red Thread X and 25 organizations, including a fireside chat with Navy Seal and former NFL Player Clint Bruce. Co-located for all L2W attendees were representatives for the Meet Your Army event from Fort Hood, Texas, Army Futures Command, Army Recruiting Command and US Army ROTC.
The weekend also featured over 75 participants at the Texas Army ROTC Tailgate at the University of Texas at Austin against UTEP football game, coinciding with US News and World Report naming UT-Austin as the #1 University in Texas for veterans. More than 600 runners participated in the Travis Manion Foundation's 9/11 Heroes Run at Camp Mabry, further demonstrating the community's commitment to honoring service members.
These events matter because they address the critical need for stronger integration between military and civilian communities. With 20 sponsors and donors and hundreds of attendees across multiple events, Leading2Win 2025 underscored the importance of collaboration between these sectors. The foundation's work in fostering hands-on workshops, shared experiences and leadership opportunities helps bridge the gap, empower veterans, and strengthen Texas communities in meaningful ways.
Lauren Postler, Finance Chair, expressed gratitude to the sponsors and partner organizations that made the 4-day series of events successful, including IBM, Patriots Hall Dripping Springs, Army Futures Command, JP Morgan Chase, American Legion Post 76, and Combined Arms. The military connected community in Central Texas continues to prove it's one of the best in the world, and the foundation aims to maintain this momentum through future initiatives. For more information about the foundation and upcoming events, visit https://Leading2Win.org.
