image: 2026 Legacy Award recipients Ross Perot, Jr. and Sarah Perot (center) accept their award at the Museum of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas. Pictured left to right: Center for BrainHealth Chief Director Sandi Chapman, PhD; Adm. William McRaven (ret.); Georgeann McRaven; Ameena Moghe; UTD President Prabhas V. Moghe, PhD; the Perots; Debbie Francis; Jim Francis (seated); UT System Chancellor John M. Zerwas, MD; and former Dallas mayor Tom Leppert.
Credit: Center for BrainHealth
Dallas – March 5, 2026 – With brain health emerging as a defining issue for America’s future workforce, military readiness and community well‑being, Center for BrainHealth® at The University of Texas at Dallas recognized Sarah and Ross Perot, Jr. with its 2026 Legacy Award during a sold‑out celebration at the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas. The award recognizes leaders whose vision accelerates the Center’s mission to transform how people understand and strengthen the brain.
The program featured keynote remarks from Admiral William H. McRaven (Ret.) who reflected on the vital intersection of brain performance, leadership and service. Debbie and Jim Francis served as Dinner Chairs, with former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert as Honorary Chair.
“Sarah and Ross embody the kind of leadership that elevates human potential,” said Sandra Bond Chapman, PhD, founder and chief director at Center for BrainHealth. “As our Legacy Award recipients, they bring courage, optimism and a genuine love for people into everything they do. Their ability to see the best in others and to inspire teams, communities and complete strangers to rise to their highest potential is rare. They lead with authenticity and heart, modeling the cognitive resilience and innovative thinking that sit at the core of our mission. Their legacy is one of lifting others up, strengthening the collective brain health of our community and expanding what we all believe is possible.”
Champions for America’s Warfighters
Sarah and Ross have been deeply engaged in supporting the center’s Optimal BrainHealth for Warfighters initiative, which provides essential brain health tools for U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) operators, veterans and their families with research-based brain health strategies. The program addresses challenges such as traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress (PTS), while also building resilience ahead of deployment. Their commitment reflects a long-standing family legacy of supporting U.S. military service members and advancing innovative health, technology and community-building initiatives across North Texas and beyond.
“The human brain is powerful, resilient and capable of extraordinary growth when given the right tools,” said Ross Perot, Jr. “The Center for BrainHealth is helping people strengthen their performance, recover from challenges and realize their potential in ways that truly matter. Sarah and I are humbled to be recognized with this year’s Legacy Award, and we accept it with deep appreciation for the innovative, compassionate community that makes this work possible. We love this city and this state, and we are grateful to play even a small part in advancing the center’s mission.”
A Legacy of Leadership
This year’s venue added profound meaning to the celebration. John Zerwas, MD, chancellor of The University of Texas System, and Prabhas Moghe, PhD, president of The University of Texas at Dallas, delivered welcome remarks to attendees including the Honorable Dan Branch, the Honorable Gordon England, Admiral Patrick Walsh (Ret.), and active‑duty and retired service members whose careers embody a deep commitment to leadership and service. Following the program, guests were invited to experience private access to the museum’s exhibits, deepening the evening’s themes of courage, cognition, and national service.
Established in 2006, the Legacy Award is the Center for BrainHealth’s highest non-scientific honor. Past recipients include, among others, Rep. Dan Branch, Clint Bruce, Lyda Hill, James Huffines, Daryl “Moose” Johnston, Lee Roy Jordan, Margaret McDermott, Georgeanne and Adm. William McRaven (Ret.), T. Boone Pickens and Todd Platt. Honorees are selected for their vision, influence and unwavering dedication to elevating brain health locally and globally.
The 2026 Legacy Award Dinner patrons were:
Gold
Candy and Ike Brown
Debbie and Jim Francis
Kathryn and Craig Hall
Hillwood Communities
Hillwood Energy
Hillwood Investment Properties
Hillwood Properties
Las Vegas Sands Corporation
Danielle and James Litinsky
Patsy and Jack Martin
Laurie and Todd Platt
Silver
Lisa and Clay Cooley
Perot Investments
Bronze
Elaine and Neils Agather, Jr.
Emy Lou Baldridge
Center for BrainHealth
Ciridian
The Compass School of Texas
Corgan Associates, Inc.
Corient
Gordon England
John Folkert and Chad Armstrong Northwestern Mutual
Tracey and Aaron Kozmetsky
Margot Perot
Perot Jain
Carolyn and Karl Rathjen
About Center for BrainHealth at UT Dallas
Center for BrainHealth®, part of The University of Texas at Dallas, is a nonprofit translational research institute committed to enhancing, preserving and restoring brain health across the lifespan. Major research areas include the use of functional and structural neuroimaging techniques to better understand the neurobiology supporting cognition and emotion in health and disease. This leading-edge scientific exploration is translated quickly into practical innovations to improve how people think, work and live, empowering people of all ages to unlock their potential through optimal brain performance. Translational innovations leverage 1) the BrainHealth Index, a proprietary measure that uniquely charts one’s upward (or downward) holistic brain health trajectory; and 2) Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Tactics (SMART™), a strategy-based methodology developed and tested by BrainHealth researchers and other teams over three decades.