Governor Abbott Taps Chancellor Sharp to Lead Commission to Rebuild Texas
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Governor Greg Abbott announced today that Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp will lead the newly created Governor’s Commission to Rebuild Texas, which will oversee and coordinate response and relief efforts throughout areas of the state recovering from Hurricane Harvey.
After making landfall near Rockport as a Category 4 hurricane on August 25, Harvey inflicted days of catastrophic flooding and devastation along the Gulf Coast. The Governor has tasked the Commission with ensuring that local communities that are now rebuilding have streamlined access to the resources and expertise necessary to be successful, as well as effective advocates at all levels of government.
Immediately following a press conference in Austin regarding the creation of the Governor’s Commission, Sharp joined Governor Abbott for a multi-day tour of areas severely impacted by Harvey to meet with local officials. They were accompanied by leaders from a number of state agencies that will play a critical role in the recovery process.
Sharp has close ties to some of the coastal communities hit hardest by the storm. Raised near Victoria, he represented the region in the Texas Legislature for almost a decade. He was first elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1978 and became a member of the Texas Senate four years later. Sharp went on to serve in statewide office, first on the Texas Railroad Commission and later as the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.
On September 6, 2011, Sharp was appointed Chancellor of the Texas A&M System. He will continue in this position and be based in College Station throughout his work on the Governor’s Commission.
About The Texas A&M University System
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a budget of $4.55 billion. Through a statewide network of 11 universities and seven state agencies, the Texas A&M System educates more than 148,000 students and makes more than 22 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year. System-wide, research and development expenditures exceeded $972 million in FY 2016 and helped drive the state’s economy.
Contact: Laylan Copelin
Vice Chancellor of Marketing and Communications
(979) 458-6425