Caren Prothro

A servant leader with a dedication to philanthropy, Caren H. Prothro has focused her efforts on supporting the arts, education and services for teens who have been trafficked.

A native of Wichita Falls, Texas, Prothro studied art at Mills College in Oakland, California, graduating in 1963. That year, she married Vin Prothro, and the couple settled in Dallas in 1966.

In the 1980s, the Junior League of Dallas led her to the Dallas County Juvenile Services, where she raised funds for two facilities: the Letot Shelter and Counseling Center and the Letot Girls’ Residential Treatment Center.

She served as vice chair of the board of the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts in 2001 and chaired the development committee, which raised $350 million to build the Winspear Opera House, the Wyly Theatre, Sammons Park and an underground parking garage. The AT&T Performing Arts Center, for which Prothro is a lifetime board member, opened in 2009.

Prothro joined the SMU Board of Trustees in 1992. Later, she served as chair of the Board from 2010–2014. She also co-chaired two campaigns, A Time to Lead and SMU Unbridled. She serves as co-chair of the SMU Ignited campaign and served as chair on the committee for renovation of the Owen Arts Center.

She serves on the Executive Board of Meadows School of the Arts, Meadows Museum Advisory Council, Central Libraries Executive Board and SMU-in-Taos Executive Board. She is a past member of the executive boards of Perkins School of Theology and Dedman College and the Advisory Council for the Maguire Center for Ethics and Public Responsibility.

Her husband’s grandparents, Joe and Lois Perkins, provided funding for Perkins School of Theology. Her mother-in-law, Elizabeth Perkins Prothro, donated rare manuscripts and bibles to Bridwell Library. And, Prothro’s late husband, Vin, oversaw the renovation of Perkins Chapel. Most recently, an organ donated to Perkins Chapel was named in Caren and Vin’s honor.

Prothro serves on the board of the George W. Bush Presidential Center Foundation, the O’Donnell Foundation and the Letot Capital Foundation. She is a lifetime board member of the Hoblitzelle Foundation, Dallas Salvation Army and Southwestern Medical Foundation. She is a founding board member of the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center, and she was appointed to the President’s Committee on Arts and Humanities during the Bush administration from 2001–2008.

She has received the Linz Award; TACA Silver Cup Award for arts leadership; J. Erik Jonsson Ethics Award; Charles Sprague Community Service Award from the Southwestern Medical Foundation; Annette Strauss Humanitarian Award; Lifetime Achievement Award from the Junior League of Dallas; Hall of State Award from the Dallas Historical Society; YWCA Family of the Year Award and the Mustang Award, SMU’s highest honor for philanthropy to the University.

Prothro and her husband, Vin, had two children, Vincent Prothro (married to Dara) and Nita Clark (married to Cullum ’17). Prothro is grandmother to Lili, Annabel and Charlotte Clark.