Hinojosa Set to Appoint New Regents at Four Texas University Systems
Terms for 11 voting regents across UT, A&M, Texas Tech, and Texas State expire in January, giving the incoming governor an immediate opportunity to reshape university leadership.
By Alexei Brooks ·
Gina Hinojosa will have the power to fill 11 vacant regent seats across four major Texas public university systems within weeks of taking office in January.
Key Point 1: Terms for 11 voting regents expire on January 31 and February 1. Hinojosa can nominate successors for these seats, subject to Texas Senate confirmation. The vacancies span the University of Texas System, Texas A&M System, Texas State University System, and Texas Tech University.
Key Point 2: The expirations include current board chairs at three of the four systems. Kevin Eltife leads the UT System, Robert Albritton heads Texas A&M, and Stephen Lee chairs the Texas State University System. Cody Campbell is the current chair at Texas Tech.
Key Point 3: Hinojosa’s appointments could alter the ideological balance of boards that have been shaped by conservative appointees in recent years. Her campaign did not respond to requests for comment on how she plans to approach these nominations.
The specific regents whose terms end on February 1 include Nolan Perez and Stuart Stedman at UT; Randy Brooks and Bill Mahomes at Texas A&M; and Sheila Faske and Alan L. Tinsley at Texas State. At Texas Tech, terms for Arcilia Acosta and a vacant seat left by Pat Gordon’s resignation also expire on January 31.
At least 12 additional voting regent terms are scheduled to expire in 2027. These include positions at the University of North Texas System, University of Houston System, Texas Woman’s University, and Texas Southern University.
Following Gov. Greg Abbott’s concession on Tuesday night, social media users speculated about the impact of Hinojosa’s victory on university governance. One user predicted UT could return to normal operations. Another Texas A&M graduate celebrated the prospect of a new Board of Regents.
Brian Davis, a former Austin American-Statesman reporter and UT-Austin spokesperson, described the potential changes as random fallout from the election. He noted that leadership at Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech will have different bosses in Austin.
Hinojosa has also outlined changes for K-12 education. She pledged to fire Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath on day one and to end the state takeover of Houston ISD.
During her election night remarks, Hinojosa reaffirmed her commitment to replace Morath immediately. She previously stated in a September news release that returning HISD to local control would restore accountability to voters, the community, and parents.
