Our Founder

TexProtects’ founder and former CEO, Madeline McClure has been on a two-decade mission to prevent child abuse and neglect. After a successful nine-year career in finance on Wall Street, McClure heeded a calling to help abused and neglected children. After earning her Social Work Master’s degree and providing therapy to child abuse victims for six years as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Madeline shifted her energies to preventing childhood trauma systemically.

With four colleagues, she co-founded the Child Abuse Prevention Advocacy Commission in 2000 to improve Child Protective Services (CPS) in the Dallas Area. After legislative successes, McClure created TexProtects, the Texas Association for the Protection of
Children in 2004 with a focus on preventing child maltreatment to drive large-scale, system-wide change.

Madeline is an innovative visionary and thought leader who relentlessly advocated for and led the passage of 46 new public policy initiatives that improved CPS, the foster care system and made investments in cost beneficial prevention programs, securing over $135 million for family support home visiting programs in Texas over 11 years. These initiatives include the design and passage of the landmark Nurse-Family Partnership Act statewide program and the omnibus Texas Home Visiting Expansion and Accountability Act, which combined currently serve over 35,000 families across Texas. She designed the Dallas HOPES project “Child Protection and Prevention Framework” © subsequently utilized by researchers nationally.

Madeline’s legacy extends beyond building TexProtects as a singular organization. Knowing there is power in numbers when like-minded organizations band together, she spearheaded collaborations with leaders across the state, including forming the Child Protection Roundtable (2008) composed of over 80 child-focused organizations and the Statewide Home Visiting Consortium (2012) in collaboration with Pew Research Center. She led TexProtects to become the Texas Chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America (2017), effectively furthering statewide prevention efforts and coordinating efforts nationally through this partnership.

Madeline’s founding of TexProtects and its impact have been widely recognized by legislators, the media, and others with numerous honors, including:

• 2018 “CEO of the Year” Nominee, D Magazine Non-Profit Business Awards
• 2017 “Texas Trailblazer Advocacy Award” for Madeline McClure and TexProtects, The Family Place
• 2017 “Maura Women Helping Women Award”, Dallas Women’s Foundation
• 2016 “CEO of the Year Award” and “Non-Profit of the Year” Nominees, Center for Non-Profit Management (CNM), Dallas
• 2008 and 2015: “Person of the Year Award” Nominee, Dallas Morning News
• 2014 “Simmons Luminary Award” to McClure and TexProtects, SMU School of Education
• 2004 “Distinguished Alumni of the Year”, University of Texas at Arlington School of Social Work
• 2004 “Social Worker of the Year”, National Association of Social Workers-Dallas Chapter

Since retiring as CEO at the end of 2018 and serving on TexProtects Board of Directors through 2022, Madeline has continued to demonstrate an enduring commitment to the well-being of Texas children and the mission of TexProtects. Our work is rooted in Madeline’s transformative vision, and she remains deeply passionate and dedicated to the betterment of the lives of Texas children and families.

We are truly grateful to Madeline for her vision, passion, and impactful years of service to children and to TexProtects and honor her legacy through our ongoing commitment to the work.