Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Brandon L. Simmons as Director of Institutional Policy and Oversight, placing him at the head of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Office of the Ombudsman. Simmons will serve in this role until the Governor decides otherwise, with his appointment subject to Senate confirmation.
The Office of the Ombudsman acts as a mediator among Texas’s higher education institutions, state lawmakers, and the public on issues related to governance and student outcomes. It also handles financial compliance, data reporting, and other oversight responsibilities.
Governor Abbott commented on the appointment: “Texas continues to lead the nation with more top-ranked research universities and programs than any other state. In order to maintain this lead, we must place the success of Texas students first. Brandon Simmons’ achievements and dedication to educate our future leaders as an entrepreneur, professor, and university chairman will help ensure Texas’ higher education institutions continue to set the national standard and prepare our students to thrive.”
Simmons is based in Houston and previously served on the Texas Southern University Board of Regents after being confirmed by the Texas Senate in May 2023. He was chairman from October 2023 through October 2025. He currently works as a Distinguished Professor of Business at Wiley University in Marshall and has held roles such as Entrepreneur in Residence there. His background includes work as a technology executive, venture capitalist, corporate attorney, and service on several corporate and nonprofit boards.
Simmons holds a Bachelor of Arts from University of California, Berkeley, and a Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School. He received the John W. Gardner Fellowship—an honor awarded jointly by Stanford University and UC Berkeley—and clerked for Chief Judge J.L. Edmondson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
