AUSTIN, Texas — Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Brandon L. Simmons as the state’s first Director of Institutional Policy and Oversight, a newly created ombudsman role within the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB). The appointment follows the passage of Senate Bill 37, which established the office to ensure accountability, transparency, and responsiveness across Texas’s public colleges and universities.
The new position gives the state a direct channel for investigating complaints, reviewing financial and administrative compliance, and strengthening communication between higher education institutions, the Legislature, and the public. The governor’s office said the initiative reflects Texas’s ongoing commitment to upholding standards of integrity within its education system.
Simmons, a business professor at Wiley University in Marshall and former chairman of the Texas Southern University Board of Regents, brings years of experience in higher education leadership and policy.
The ombudsman office is set to take effect September 1, when Simmons and his team will begin developing procedures to review institutional practices and address student and faculty concerns statewide.
“This new office will help ensure Texas students and families can have confidence in our higher education system,” Abbott said in a statement.
The move adds to Abbott’s broader education agenda, emphasizing performance, transparency, and results in Texas public institutions.
