Major Donors Walk Out as Alamo Leadership Clash Deepens

Three top fundraisers for the Remember the Alamo Foundation have resigned in protest over the forced departure of Alamo Trust CEO Kate Rogers, the San Antonio Express-News reported. The resignations add to ongoing turmoil surrounding the $550 million public-private overhaul of the historic site.

According to the San Antonio Express-News, real estate developer Phillip P. Bakke, philanthropist Tracy Wolff and retired Air Force Gen. Donald G. Cook quietly stepped down and were removed from the foundation’s online board listing.

Their departures follow the Oct. 23 resignation of Rogers, who was pressured to step down by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham over Alamo staff social media posts and passages in Rogers’ academic work they criticized as “woke.”  Buckingham called the Indigenous Peoples’ Day posts “frankly unacceptable,” adding, “Woke has no place at the Alamo.” Patrick later objected to parts of Rogers’ 2023 doctoral dissertation, saying her views “undermine the credibility of the Alamo Trust.”

Cook told the San Antonio Express-News, “Kate’s dismissal was the cause of my resignation,” calling her removal “an emotional reaction, not based upon sound judgment.”

Bakke praised Rogers’ leadership as “extraordinary,” arguing she was targeted by “a personal vendetta by one state official” that escalated into “an outrageous campaign to disqualify her.” 

In his resignation letter, he wrote that continued conflict made it “impossible” to serve, adding, “Even the Lieutenant Governor publicly praised her leadership in the summer of 2025. Nothing changed — except that one of her staff members acknowledged Indigenous Peoples’ Day this year along with Columbus Day.”

Wolff, in her resignation letter, said she could “no longer support the decisions currently being made regarding the future of the historic Alamo,” calling Rogers’ removal “tacky.” She added in an interview, “All of a sudden, they just fired her overnight. It was pretty tacky the way it was done.”

In an interview, Rogers said the three departing members were central to fundraising efforts that have collected $90 million toward a $150 million goal. She has since filed a federal lawsuit claiming she was compelled to resign in violation of her free-speech rights.

The Alamo Trust board has appointed longtime member Hope Andrade as Rogers’ successor. The Trust declined to comment on the resignations. The General Land Office said the foundation is a private entity and “the GLO does not play any role on its board.”

The Remember the Alamo Foundation reported $27 million in revenue in 2023, providing $10 million in support to the Alamo Trust. Under a new state law, oversight of the site will transfer from the GLO to a governor-led commission in 2027 or 2028.