50 Years of Influence: Rockwall County Republican Women Honor Dana Macalik
The Rockwall County Republican Women celebrated five decades of history, leadership and community involvement while recognizing County Commissioner Dana Macalik as the 2026 Woman of Influence.
There is something fitting about celebrating 50 years by talking about influence.
On Saturday, August 29, the Rockwall County Republican Women gathered for its annual Women of Influence Luncheon, this year marking a milestone: 50 years since the organization began in Rockwall County in 1976.
The luncheon, held at The Linden, brought together generations of women involved in local and state politics, community service and civic leadership. By the end of the afternoon, the spotlight belonged to someone whose roots in Rockwall County run nearly as deep as they come: Rockwall County Commissioner Dana Macalik.
And in my opinion, it was very well deserved.
Celebrating 50 Years of Rockwall County Republican Women
The Linden’s contemporary setting created a beautiful backdrop for the luncheon, and the decorations by VV Party & Event Rentals were especially creative.
Oversized flowers made an immediate statement around the room, while the tables featured floral-patterned details and some of my favorite centerpieces of the afternoon: handbag-shaped green moss arrangements filled with blue hydrangeas.
And a personal thank you to my friend Julie Spokes-Owen, who hosted the table where I was seated. It always makes an event more enjoyable when you get to share it with good company.
But beyond the flowers and tablescapes, the luncheon also provided an opportunity to look back at where the organization began.
The late Billie J Tuttle, who recently passed away was remembered during the program. Tuttle served as the first president of the Rockwall County Republican Women after the organization was founded in 1976 by Jim and Gerry Glasgow. The club held its first general meeting on May 10, 1976, in Lakeside Village with roughly 20 participants.
For anyone interested in local political history, I recommend reading Billie Tuttle’s own recollection of the origins of the organization on the RCRW website. There is something particularly valuable about reading history from someone who was actually there as it was being created.
Read “The Origin of RCRW”
Fifty years later, what began with a relatively small gathering of women has grown into an organization that has remained active in Rockwall County politics for half a century.
Dawn Buckingham on Being a “Steward of the Land”
Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham served as the luncheon’s guest speaker and one of her remarks lingered with me:
Steward of the land.
That description makes a lot of sense when you understand what the Texas General Land Office actually does.
The GLO manages approximately 13 million acres of state land, including mineral interests and coastal lands, and revenue generated from those assets benefits Texas public education through the Permanent School Fund. Buckingham’s own background also makes the phrase feel less like a political slogan. A ninth-generation Texan, she grew up on a ranch near the Texas coast and describes herself as an outdoorswoman and steward of the land.
Buckingham spoke passionately about education and the responsibility of parents to encourage their children to pursue it.
She also discussed the role state lands play in funding Texas schools. Since Buckingham took office, the GLO reports that oil and gas activity on lands it manages has generated roughly $6 billion for the Permanent School Fund, the constitutionally protected fund that supports public education in Texas.
That was one of those moments during the luncheon when I realized how much of the Land Commissioner’s job happens outside the public’s everyday awareness.
Protecting the Texas Coast Before Disaster Strikes
One of the more compelling parts of Buckingham’s speech was her discussion of coastal resiliency.
There is a tremendous difference between responding to a disaster and preparing infrastructure so communities have a better chance of withstanding one.
The General Land Office’s Coastal Resiliency Program supports projects ranging from wetland protection and beach nourishment to dune restoration, regional infrastructure improvements and oyster reef enhancements. All designed to reduce long-term risks facing Texas coastal communities.
Earlier this year, Buckingham also announced more than $84 million for projects across 14 Texas coastal counties, and just days before the luncheon, the GLO and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers signed an agreement advancing work on the massive Coastal Texas Project.
It was one of the more fascinating parts of her speech because it illustrated what government can look like when the objective is not simply reacting to the next emergency, but anticipating vulnerabilities before that emergency arrives.
The Alamo Is Telling More of Its Story
And then Buckingham got to Texas history.
Specifically, the Alamo.
I have been to the Alamo, although listening to her describe its interior, roof and current preservation work made me realize I don’t remember ever going inside the church.
Apparently, there is a lot more happening there than simply renovating an old building.
The Alamo began as Mission San Antonio de Valero, established in 1718 and eventually relocated to its present site. Construction of its stone church began decades before the Texas Revolution, and the church was actually never completed during its years as a Spanish mission. Indigenous residents of the mission learned trades that included farming, weaving, metalworking and masonry.
Another detail I found fascinating the Alamo Church did not have a roof during the 1836 battle. The familiar roof visitors see today came much later with the present concrete barrel-vaulted roof installed in 1921. That roof has now exceeded its intended lifespan and is among the major preservation challenges specialists are addressing.
Buckingham also connected the battle to what was happening elsewhere in Texas at precisely the same time.
While defenders were under siege at the Alamo, delegates were meeting at Washington-on-the-Brazos. They officially declared Texas independent from Mexico on March 2, 1836, while receiving reports about the ongoing siege. The Alamo fell four days later on March 6.
That puts the history into a very different perspective.
Archaeology Is Slowing the Work
Some of the restoration work has also required patience because archaeologists keep finding pieces of history beneath the site.
And I mean actual battlefield history.
In March 2026, archaeologists uncovered an intact four-pound bronze cannonball approximately three feet underground that experts traced to the era of the Battle of the Alamo. Then in June, they discovered a second intact battle-era cannonball.
Other excavations have produced a musket ball, ceramics, bottles, structural remnants and layers representing different periods in the site’s roughly 300-year history. Excavations were still actively underway near the church as recently as August.
So when Buckingham described preservation specialists essentially peeling back history while trying to protect one of Texas’ most recognizable landmarks, I understood why the undertaking is so complicated.
The larger Alamo redevelopment is valued at approximately $550 million and includes restoration work along with a new Visitor Center and Museum scheduled to open in 2027.
And there is another Texas-sized addition coming.
Taylor Sheridan, the Texas filmmaker behind Yellowstone and Landman, has agreed to produce and direct a film about the Battle of the Alamo for an immersive 4D theater planned inside the new museum.
As someone who enjoys Sheridan’s storytelling and yes, Landman has certainly become a Texas phenomenon. I can understand Buckingham’s excitement about seeing what he does with one of the biggest stories in Texas history.
I’ve watched the 2004 movie The Alamo, with Dennis Quaid portraying Sam Houston and Billy Bob Thornton as Davy Crockett, but an immersive production created specifically for the site sounds like an entirely different experience.
I will definitely want to see that when the museum opens.
Women, Politics and Stepping Forward
Buckingham also spoke candidly about being a woman in politics and encouraged women to become more involved in their communities.
Near the end of her remarks, she made the point that your voice becomes stronger as an elected official.
I understood what she meant.
Public participation matters. Speaking at meetings matters. Asking questions matters. Supporting candidates matters.
But elected office comes with something different. Institutional responsibility and actual governing authority.
Exactly what that authority looks like depends on the office. A city council member is still one vote on a governing body and usually cannot independently dictate what the entire city does. A statewide executive office such as Land Commissioner comes with a very different set of responsibilities and authority.
But the larger point remained the same.
If you believe something in your community needs to change. Sometimes the next step is being willing to put your own name on the ballot.
And that brought the program rather naturally back home to Rockwall County.
Dana Macalik Named 2026 Woman of Influence
RCRW President Alma McClintock shared the accomplishments and community involvement of this year’s honoree before announcing the name: Dana Macalik.
Dana was visibly moved as she walked to the front of the room to accept the 2026 Woman of Influence Award.
She acknowledged members of her family who were there to celebrate with her, including her nephew, former State Representative Justin Holland, and spoke with humility about receiving an award centered around a word as meaningful as influence.
Because influence, as Dana noted, is ultimately measured by what we do with it.
She credited Republican women’s clubs with actively helping shape the future of the county by educating voters, supporting candidates and encouraging people to become involved.
But Dana’s own record of involvement in Rockwall County spans much more than elected office.
A fifth-generation Rockwall County native, she graduated from Rockwall High School in 1980. After 17 years in corporate leadership and management, she became CEO of the Rockwall Area Chamber of Commerce in 2011. She has served in numerous civic and nonprofit leadership positions, including with Rockwall Rotary, the Boys & Girls Club, STAR Transit and the American Cancer Society.
She later served on the Rockwall City Council from 2017 through 2022, including serving as Mayor Pro Tem in 2019, before voters elected her to the Rockwall County Commissioners Court in November 2022. She began serving as Precinct 2 Commissioner in January 2023.
Her own biography describes a career that has moved through business, real estate, economic development, civic organizations and government. All while remaining closely connected to the county where her family has lived for generations.
And that is probably why Woman of Influence feels particularly appropriate.
Influence isn’t simply having people know your name.
It is investing in a community long enough that your work becomes part of its story.
Congratulations, Dana
This recognition was well deserved.
I’m glad to know Dana. I’m glad she cares deeply about Rockwall County. And I appreciate that she continues to care about who represents it, how it grows and who is willing to step forward and serve.
After an afternoon devoted to 50 years of women influencing Rockwall County, there could hardly have been a more appropriate way to close the celebration than honoring another woman who has spent much of her life doing exactly that.
If Dana has encouraged you, served alongside you or made an impact somewhere along the way, take a moment to congratulate her on being named the 2026 Woman of Influence.