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The Friends provide ongoing support for park programs, restoration efforts, and recreational events at the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. Founded in 2007 with the encouragement and support of Mrs. Johnson and daughters Luci Johnson and Lynda Robb, the Friends group works to preserve the lasting legacy of President and Mrs. Johnson through the Visitors Centers, the Boyhood Home, the Johnson Settlement, and the LBJ Ranch, which was gifted to the National Park Service and the American people.
We invite all to help us care for, enjoy, and support this national treasure.
| | LBJ National Historical Park Updates | | | | Meet the new Superintendent | |
Matthew D. Carroll (Matt) was appointed as the
Superintendent of Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) National
Historical Park and Waco Mammoth National
Monument in May 2025. He oversees operations at both of these unique parks to ensure visitors can experience the legacy of LBJ in the Texas Hill Country and the scientific importance of paleontological remains of a mammoth herd located in central Texas. To best serve the needs of each park, he works closely with key partners vested in their success.
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| | Annual Wreath Laying Ceremony | |
Annual Wreath Laying Ceremony
Join the Friends of LBJ NHP and National Park Service August 27, 2025 at 10 am at the Johnson Family Cemetery in Stonewall for the annual wreath laying ceremony. Remembrance by Catherine Robb.
| Featured Speaker: Catherine Robb | |
Catherine Robb is counsel in the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice Group in the Austin office of Haynes Boone. Her practice is focused on First Amendment litigation, pre-publication review and editing, copyright and trademark litigation, general commercial litigation, open-government issues and privacy concerns.
She advises clients concerning media law issues for an extensive array of content providers, including online and traditional newspapers, magazines, radio and broadcasters, cable television stations, production companies, and music entities. Catherine currently serves on the Governing Board of the ABA Forum on Communication Law and is the former Chair of the Women in Communication Law (WICL) section of the Forum.
She has been recognized by The Best Lawyers America, Woodward/White, Inc., as a "Lawyer of the Year"; in First Amendment Law (2024); selected for inclusion for Litigation - First Amendment Lawyers (2020-2025); and Listed in Chambers USA, Chambers and Partners, for First Amendment Litigation (Nationwide), 2025. Ms. Robb is the founder and Chair Emeritus of the LBJ Library Future Forum. She serves on the board of PBS, where she is the General Vice-Chair of the Board, and as a past board member and past Board Chair of KLRU/Austin PBS (where she also served on the Austin City Limits Committee).
She also serves on the Board of Directors of the LBJ Foundation and the Board of Managers for the University of Virginia Alumni Association, and on the Advisory Council for the LBJ School of Public Affairs. She is a past Board Member of the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM), the Austin Film Society, and the Sargent Shriver Center on Poverty Law, among other organizations.
She is an Alumni member of the Texas Lyceum and is a member of Leadership Austin, Class of 2003. In addition to these positions, Ms. Robb volunteers for several non-profits in the community, including Trinity Center. Ms. Robb earned her J.D., 1998 with honors from the University of Texas School of Law. She received her B.A., 1992 from the University of Virginia.
| | | | Board Transition Announcement: Alisa Malechek Sell as new Boad Chair | |
Alisa Malechek Sell is an accomplished government affairs professional and community-centered civic volunteer with more than thirty years of experience in Dallas and Washington, D.C.
Since her childhood growing up on the LBJ Ranch, Alisa has sustained a lifelong appreciation and fondness for the land and the Johnson family. Her late father, Dale, was the ranch foreman of the
Johnson properties and her mother, Jewell, worked for President and Mrs. Johnson at the Texas White House, helping arrange parties and plan events. To this day, Jewell still lives on the Ranch in the same home President Johnson built for the Malechek family.
Alisa earned her bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication from the University of Texas at Austin, followed by a master’s degree at UT's LBJ School of Public Affairs. Following her time in Austin, Alisa moved to Washington, DC to work for US Senator Lloyd Bentsen. Later, she joined a lobbying association as Vice President for Government Affairs for 13 years.
Now back in Texas, Alisa divides her time between her leadership positions on several boards, including those for CARE Dallas, Preservation Park Cities, the Dallas Woman’s Club and the esteemed Dallas Museum of Art, along with her role as an Elder at Highland Park Presbyterian Church. Alisa is married to J. Clay Sell and they have three children: Jack (26), Robert (22) and Mary Margaret (21).
“I have strong memories of growing up on the LBJ Ranch,” says Alisa. “Riding my horse all over the ranch; raising our steers that we showed through 4H and FFA at all the major Texas livestock shows and going on trips in Mexico with my parents and the President and Mrs. Johnson. It was a beautiful childhood. I am serving on the Friends Board now to help preserve the LBJ legacy.”
Alisa replaces former Chair, Terry Casparis, who will now serve as Vice Chair and Co-chair of Our Heart's Home Capital Campaign.
| | Welcoming Brian Vickers to the Friends Board | |
Brian was born and raised in Texas, graduating from Texas Tech University. He served 21 years in the US Air Force as a commissioned officer. After the Air Force, Brian was an analyst, planner, and program manager for 11 years for L3 Communications and Northrop Grumman in Colorado. Brian joined the National Park Service in 2012, working as a park ranger for 11 years, and retired in April 2023 as the Deputy Chief of Interpretation at Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. He joined the Board of Trustees of the Friends of Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park in February 2025.
| | | Our Heart's Home Announcement | | |
Now that the restoration of the Texas White House is underway, we have begun the
capital campaign to assist the National Park Service in a complete restoration of the historical visitor facilities and modernization of exhibits at the park. Our project will create an interactive visitor experience with new perspectives on the lives of President Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson.
New features will reflect and complement the total historical renovation of the Texas White House now in progress. These are the first major updates of the house and visitor facilities since the park was founded in 1980. The plan developed by the park needs $1.93M to complete this work. We are now focusing on acquiring grants from major philanthropic foundations and corporate sponsors. We will soon announce our public campaign to solicit individual donations.
Our national parks need public support now more than ever. We ask for your support and the support of everyone who values all of our national parks. Stay tuned for ways you can directly support our campaign very soon. But, if you cannot wait and have an idea, a charitable contact, or can help in other ways, send an email to us at friendsoflbj@gmail.com.
| | | Announcement: National Park Foundation Collective Campaign Partner Fundraising Infusion Grant | | |
We’re proud to receive a Collective Campaign Partner Fundraising Infusion Grant from the National Park Foundation to support our continued work to support Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. This one-time grant is part of The Campaign for National Parks — a nationwide effort to elevate philanthropic support of our national parks, ensuring these iconic places thrive for generations to come, and it could not have come at a better time for our park as we begin Our Heart’s Home Capital Campaign.
Because this grant provides operational funding, we now focus our efforts to raise $1.93M to assist the National Park Service in a complete restoration of historical visitor facilities and modernization of exhibits at the park. This work reflects and complements the total historical renovation of the Texas White House, which is now in progress. These activities are the first major updates of the house and of visitor facilities since the park was founded in 1980.
We’ve made a good start, having raised over $230,000 to date for this purpose. Now we are pursuing contributions from foundations and corporate partners to add significantly to this total. We believe it is important for you to know that 100% of the Friends Board of Trustees are personally financially committed to achieving this goal. We urge you to watch for Our Heart’s Home updates in this newsletter and on social media.
Together with the National Park Foundation, the National Park Friends Alliance, and organizations like ours across the country, we will ensure that our national parks – including Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park – are cared for and will be enjoyed by visitors today and for generations to come.
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