Search for Texas A&M-Kingsville President Begins

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COLLEGE STATION, Texas — A 12-member committee charged with finding a successor to Texas A&M University-Kingsville President Steve Tallant met for the first time Monday.

The Presidential Search Advisory Committee will screen and interview candidates over the next several months before recommending three finalists to The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents.

President Tallant is retiring, effective Dec. 31.

The committee includes two Texas A&M System regents, Chairman Charles Schwartz and Phil Adams, and several members from the campus as well as the community.

Texas A&M System Chancellor John Sharp thanked search committee members.

“Hiring the right president is always critical to the continued growth and success of a university,” said Chancellor Sharp. “I deeply appreciate everyone volunteering their time for this important task.”

The committee members are:

Regent Charles Schwartz
Chair, Board of Regents
Chair of Search Advisory Committee

Regent Phil Adams
Member – Board of Regents

Dr. Veronica Ancona-Contreras
Assistant Professor

Dr. Elda Sanchez
Associate Professor in Chemistry, Director of the National Natural Toxins Research Center (Serpentarium)

Elizabeth Janzen
President- Faculty Senate

Jesus Hernandez
President- Staff Council

Dr. Dolores Guerrero
Dean, College of Arts and Sciences

Al Hinojosa
Vice President- HOLT CAT, San Antonio, TX

Dr. Linda Villarreal
Co-Founder, Ed-Point, LLC

Tio Kleberg
King Ranch descendant and contributor to TAMUK

Randy Hughes
Chief of Staff for the University President

Ruben Martinez
Student Body President

Assisting the search committee will be Dr. James Hallmark, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, and Laurie Wilder and Porsha Williams, consultants with Parker Executive Search, an Atlanta-based search firm.

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 $4.7 billion. Through a statewide network of 11 universities and seven state agencies, the Texas A&M System educates more than 152,000 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
(512) 289-2782 cell
lcopelin@tamus.edu