Texas A&M System executive Ballabina has been chosen as the sole finalist to become the next president of Texas A&M University, following months of turmoil and political influence on the university's operations and curriculum. The decision involves the enforcement of new state rules on discussions of sensitive topics.
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Ballabina currently serves as executive vice chancellor for the Texas A&M University System, where she is Chancellor Glenn Hegar’s top deputy and oversees day-to-day operations across the system’s 12 universities and eight state agencies. She previously served as chief of staff to former Texas A&M President Mark A. Welsh III.
Ballabina initially served on the presidential search committee before recusing herself to apply for the job, according to the system. The decision follows months of upheaval at the flagship campus after Welsh resigned amid political backlash over a secretly recorded classroom discussion of gender identity that was posted online. The search unfolded as regents took a more assertive role in responding to controversy and shaping what can be taught, part of a broader political remaking of Texas higher education under new state laws. Ballabina is set to lead the state’s largest public university, which enrolled 72,289 students in fall 2025, and enforce new system rules that restrict how race, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity can be discussed in class. The board voted 8-0 to approve Ballabina as sole finalist after spending about 30 minutes in closed session. Regent David C. Baggett was absent. “Every member of this board knows her and has worked with her and has seen first-hand her steady leadership, her sound judgment and her constant commitment to making Texas A&M University better,” board Vice Chair Jay Graham said after the vote. “She understands what makes this place unique, our values, our traditions and our responsibility to serve the people of Texas.”
Ballabaina holds a bachelor’s degree from Tarleton State University, a master’s degree from Stephen F. Austin State University and a doctorate in public affairs from the University of Texas at Dallas. Ballabina has worked in the system for more than three decades, holding senior leadership roles at both the university and Texas A&M Agrilife, and helped cultivate partnerships such as Aplin Center, a new campus hub for hospitality, retail and food-and-nutrition education, and coordinating statewide disaster recovery efforts after Hurricane Harvey, according to the system. She said in a statement that she was “honored by the trust and confidence of the Board of Regents and Chancellor Hegar.”
In 2023, M. Katherine Banks resigned as president after the failed hiring of Kathleen McElroy, an experienced Black journalism professor at the University of Texas at Austin whom Texas A&M had recruited to revive its journalism program. McElroy walked away from an offer that university officials had watered down after vocal groups outside the university had criticized her past work for the New York Times and support for diversity. Welsh followed as president, working to rebuild trust with faculty by reversing some of Banks’ unpopular changes and promising not to micromanage. But that approach later put him at odds with regents who wanted a leader who would respond more quickly to political controversy. His downfall came in September 2025 after he initially told a student he would not fire lecturer Melissa McCoul for discussing gender identity in a children’s literature course. He ultimately did fire McCoul. Leonard Bright, president of the Texas A&M chapter of the American Association of University Professors, said Ballabina’s selection brought “some level of relief” because faculty had feared regents might choose a politician. But he said her lack of classroom and research experience raises questions.
B. Don Russell, a Texas A&M professor and chair of the university’s distinguished professors group, offered a more supportive view, saying Ballabina was “among the most open for discussions with faculty” of the administrators he has worked with. He said her broad experience across the university system and in state politics will serve A&M well. He did not see her lack of traditional classroom background as a major limitation. Since Welsh’s resignation, Tommy Williams — a former Texas lawmaker, Texas A&M alum and one-time top government relations official for the system — has served as interim president. There’s also been a broader political remaking of Texas higher education since 2023. Lawmakers have banned diversity, equity and inclusion offices, programs and training; expanded regents’ authority over curriculum; and imposed rules limiting protesting on campus, including bans on encampments and overnight demonstrations. Supporters of these new laws say they keep universities focused on their core mission of providing degrees that lead to profitable careers. Opponents say they undercut universities’ mission to be spaces for open inquiry.
Disclosure: New York Times, Texas A&M University, Texas A&M University System and University of Texas at Austin have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a completeWATCH: Motorcycle in flames as two people injured after crash near downtownA New Beginning: Comal County Crisis Center Prepares to Welcome ClientsCommunity members offer opinions to possible César E. Chávez Blvd. name changeUSAA customer sues company after his vehicle was stranded in Mexico for monthsWest Side neighborhood motorcycle crash ends in flames; residents urge need for speed bumpsTradición y color: más de 70 años celebrando Fiesta en San AntonioFiesta parades: How to choose where to sit?Complaints mount against Cibolo animal services officer after dog’s deathNo active threat on campus at Hill Country Prep High School in BulverdeFamily of Matthew Guerra reacts to guilty verdict
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