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Kate Rogers will be the new chief development officer for the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts.
The appointment comes almost a year after she was forced to resign from the Alamo over pressure from state leaders.
In a press release from the Tobin Center, Rogers said she was excited to start her new position.
She had previously served on the Tobin's Board of Directors.
“The Tobin Center is essential to the cultural vitality of San Antonio,” said Rogers. “My experience on the Board strengthened my understanding of the organization’s mission, its impact and its potential. I am honored to join the leadership team and look forward to cultivating the philanthropic partnerships that will expand access, advance our ambitions, and sustain The Tobin Center for generations to come.”
Tobin Center CEO Michael Fresher said she was a proven leader.
"Her ability to build meaningful relationships, unite people around a shared vision, and turn ambitious ideas into lasting impact makes her the right leader to advance our development strategy. Kate already
knows and believes deeply in The Tobin Center’s mission, and we are thrilled to welcome her to our executive leadership team," he said.
The Tobin Center opened in 2014. Its stages include a 1700-seat performance space with the capacity to go from seats to a ballroom floor, a black box theater, and an outdoor event.
Rogers will fill the role that was just vacated by Renee Garvens, who has taken a job as the CEO of The Non-Profit Council.
Rogers had joined the Alamo Trust in 2021.
During a dispute over historical context last year, Rogers was forced out of her position at the Alamo following assertions from the state that her views did not align with its expectations.
The disagreements were triggered by posts from the Alamo’s social media accounts acknowledging Indigenous Peoples' Day in October 2025.
The Alamo itself is owned by the Texas General Land Office, which is overseen by Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, who had decried the posting saying, “Woke has no place at the Alamo.”
Later that month, Rogers was forced to resign from her position.
She said on TPR’s The Source in January 2026 that Lt. Governor Dan Patrick publicly expressed displeasure with a dissertation she had written in 2023 that argued that the Alamo’s story should include Indigenous peoples and other communities often minimized in traditional retellings.
Rogers sued Patrick and other state officials in federal court on the grounds that her free speech was violated.
The suit alleged that Patrick and Buckingham had transformed the Alamo “from the 'Cradle of Liberty' to a Graveyard of Censorship in Just Eleven Days.”
“The fighters at the Alamo courageously held off Santa Anna’s troops for thirteen days. But Lieutenant Governor Patrick and Commissioner Buckingham only needed eleven days to lay siege to the First Amendment,” the original complaint filed in November 2025 said.
Court documents show that Rogers was suing to be reinstated and was also seeking monetary damages and a declaratory judgement that the acts committed by the state were a violation of the First Amendment.
The last movement in court filings was in March 2026. Multiple motions have been filed by defendants — including the Alamo Trust and Remember the Alamo Foundation — to dismiss the case. Rogers’ attorneys filed a response asking that the case not be dismissed.
With her new position at the Tobin Center, it’s unclear what will happen with the case, which remains active.
Before her tenure at the Alamo, Rogers worked as an executive at H-E-B and the Charles Butt Foundation as the Vice President of Community Outreach & Engagement.
TPR's Jack Morgan contributed to this report.
Editor's note: This story was updated at 5:20 p.m. to include statements from Rogers and the Tobin Center.
