Raymund A. Paredes, Ph.D. Commissioner of Higher Education Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Raymund A. Paredes is Commissioner of Higher Education at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Paredes spent most of his academic career at UCLA where for 30 years he taught as an English professor and served for 10 years as vice chancellor for Academic Development. In addition, he served as special assistant to the president of the University of California System in outreach efforts to improve access to higher education for students from educationally disadvantaged communities. Prior to joining the Coordinating Board, Paredes was director of creativity and culture at the Rockefeller Foundation, and then served as vice president for programs at the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. Paredes was appointed to the Education Commission of the States by Governor Rick Perry; he served as a trustee of The College Board and Mercy College of New York, and was a member of the Board of Directors of the Texas Cultural Trust. He was named one of Hispanic Business Magazine s 100 Most Influential Hispanics and is a member of the national board of directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters. Paredes was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. After graduation from El Paso High School, he attended The University of Texas at Austin, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. He served in the U.S. Army for two years, including a 14-month tour with the First Infantry Division in Vietnam. After separation from military service, he resumed his education, receiving a master s degree in American Studies from the University of Southern California and his Ph.D. in American Civilization in 1973 from The University of Texas at Austin.
Dr. Dewayne Matthews, Vice President of Strategy Development Lumina Foundation Dr. Dewayne Matthews is vice president of strategy development of Lumina Foundation. Matthews has served in a variety of higher education leadership roles, including Senior Adviser to the President and Vice President of the Education Commission of the States (ECS), Director of Programs and Services for the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), and Executive Director of the New Mexico Commission on Higher Education. He has been a legislative staff member, faculty member and university trustee, and has worked with higher education institutions in Mexico, Canada, and Japan. He began his career as a first-grade teacher in Taos, N.M. Dr. Matthews is a graduate of the University of New Mexico and earned a master's degree in bilingual education at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, N.M. He earned a doctorate in educational leadership and policy studies at Arizona State University and received an honorary doctor of humane letters from Marycrest International University.
Lorraine Perryman, Vice President Public Relations Consultant and Community Volunteer A public relations consultant and community volunteer, Lorraine Perryman is the former Mayor of Odessa, Texas. Her interest in education is reflected in the many offices and boards she serves including founder and president, Ector County Education Foundation; Board of Directors, Odessa College Foundation; Development Board, The University of Texas of the Permian Basin; Advocated for Higher Education, Executive Committee, Chancellor s Council, The University of Texas System; and Chancellor s Council, Texas Tech University System. She was appointed to a six-year term on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board by Governor Perry in 2001. Ms. Perryman joined the College for All Texans Foundation Board of Directors in 2003 and currently serves as Board Vice President. Her other current affiliations and activities include Mayor s Drug and Crime Commission, Texas Cultural Trust, Permian Basin Rehabilitation Center and Junior League of Odessa. Ms. Perryman has received numerous awards and other recognition for her public service. Among them the 2006 Professional, Human and Civil Rights Award, Texas State Teachers Association; 2005 First Lady of Odessa, Beta Sigma Phi International; 2004 Buddy West Leadership Award, Presidential Museum; 2004 Outstanding Local Leader in Texas, John Ben Shepperd Public Leadership Forum; 2001 State of Texas Arbor Day dedication in Honor of Commitment to Trees and Community Beautification; 1997 Distinguished Citizen of the Year, Buffalo Trail Council, Boy Scouts of America; 1997 Mayor s Citation for Successful Passage of Economic Development Sales Tax, and 1997 Permian Basin Person of Vision, Texas Society to Prevent Blindness. Ms. Perryman received a Bachelor of Journalism degree from The University of Texas at Austin and served as a news anchor for KOSA-TV in Odessa. She and her husband, Ray, have five children.
David W. Gardner, Ph.D. Deputy Commissioner for Academic Planning and Policy/Chief Academic Officer Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board David Gardner is the Deputy Commissioner for Academic Planning and Policy and Chief Academic Officer at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Gardner oversees the divisions of Academic Quality and Workforce, College Readiness and Success, Strategic Planning and Funding, and Innovation and Policy Development. His primary responsibilities include coordination of the Board's efforts toward Closing the Gaps by 2015 through academic excellence and research at Texas institutions of higher education. Prior to joining the Coordinating Board staff, Gardner was on the faculty at Hofstra University. He has also been a visiting professor at Texas A&M University. Gardner is currently an Adjunct Professor of Higher Education Administration at The University of Texas at Austin. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Texas Space Grant Consortium, as well as the Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) Advisory Board. He is an Affiliate for the Center for Analysis of Postsecondary Education and Employment (CAPSEE) at Columbia University. Gardner holds a Ph.D. and Master's degree from Texas A&M University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Houston.
Julie Eklund, Ph.D. Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Strategic Planning and Funding Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Julie Eklund has been a staff member of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for 10 years, most recently as Deputy Assistant Commissioner in the Strategic Planning and Funding Division. In this role, Eklund oversees the Strategic Planning division, the Research and Evaluation division, and the Education Data Center. While at the agency, Eklund has honed her strategic planning expertise by working on the Texas Higher Education Regional Plan, the Agency Strategic Plan, and the Accelerated Plan for Closing the Gaps. Eklund holds a Bachelor s Degree from Amherst College, a Master s degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from The University of Texas at Austin.
Ginger Gossman, Ph.D. Director of Planning Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Ginger Gossman joined the staff of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in December 2011 and has served the agency in several roles since then. She began as the state coordinator for Pathways, a state, regional, and local vertical alignment project. She then served as the Director of Planning and oversaw all of the reports on the Coordinating Board data site. Ginger is now the Senior Director of Innovation and Policy Development, a new unit in the agency tasked with following and anticipating curricular and policy changes in higher education. Ginger studied Anthropology and Sociology as an undergraduate and earned an Associate of Arts degree from Miami-Dade College, a Bachelor of Arts degree from Florida International University, and a Master of Arts from the University of South Alabama in this field. She then completed a Ph.D. in Demography at The University of Texas at Austin in 2006 where she was trained in measurement and methods. Ginger began her career in the field of public health at the Battelle Centers for Public Health Research and Evaluation in Seattle, Washington. She has presented her health-related findings at regional and national conferences and has authored and co-authored several journal articles on maternal and child health, including articles in Obstetrics & Gynecology and Preventing Chronic Disease. Ginger s work in education began at the Austin Independent School District where she worked in research and evaluation.