THECB NAMES DR. KELLER AS NEW COMMISSIONER OF HIGHER ED

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board voted unanimously on September 11 to appoint Dr. Harrison Keller to serve as the next commissioner of higher education. Dr. Keller will assume his new post on Oct. 1.

“The Search Committee recommended him to the board after a national search, because he stood out from a competitive field of candidates for his extensive knowledge of and experience in strengthening higher education and broadening opportunity for all Texans,” said Board Chair Stuart W. Stedman. “We believe that Harrison Keller will be able to assist the Coordinating Board in making great strides toward the fulfillment of our mission and our continued work toward achieving the goals of 60x30TX.”

“I am pleased that the Coordinating Board has selected Harrison Keller,” commented Gov. Greg Abbott. “With his strong higher education background, we look forward to his leadership and his support in developing and working toward important initiatives to advance postsecondary education and workforce readiness for our citizens.”

Dr. Keller comes to the Coordinating Board from The University of Texas at Austin, where he has been serving as deputy to the president for strategy and policy. Previously he served as vice provost for higher education policy and research and founded the OnRamps and Texas OnCourse initiatives. Earlier in his career he served as senior education policy advisor and director of research for Rep. Tom Craddick during his tenure as Speaker of the Texas House, and as a project director at UT Austin’s Charles A. Dana Center.