Susan Ballabina has been confirmed as the next president of Texas A&M after the university’s board of regents voted unanimously to appoint her, with her start date set for May 11. The regents’ decision comes as Texas A&M works through a prolonged period of instability at its flagship campus, following former president Mark A. Welsh III’s resignation and the political dispute that surrounded it.
Regents said Ballabina was the sole finalist selected earlier in the process, after the board named her on April 13. They also said Texas law required them to wait 21 days before finalizing the hire, and she initially served on the presidential search committee before recusing herself to pursue the job.
Ballabina most recently served as executive vice chancellor for the Texas A&M University System, a role in which she oversaw day-to-day operations across the system’s 12 universities and eight state agencies. Before that, she served as Mark A. Welsh III’s chief of staff, according to the Texas A&M system. During the regents’ meeting after the vote, Ballabina said, “I was a reluctant applicant. I wasn’t sure that this was something I wanted to do, but after going through the process and preparing for the various interviews, I got more and more excited.”
The leadership shift follows months of turmoil at Texas A&M’s main campus that began after Welsh resigned amid political backlash over a secretly recorded classroom discussion of gender identity that had been posted online. The AP report said the university’s search unfolded as regents took a more assertive role in responding to controversy and in shaping what can be taught—part of what it described as a broader political remaking of Texas colleges under new state laws.
After Welsh stepped down, Texas A&M cycled through leaders in recent years. 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 recruited to revive its program. McElroy later walked away from an offer after officials watered down parts of it, following vocal criticism outside the university, the report said. Welsh then took office and moved to rebuild trust by reversing some of Banks’ unpopular changes and promising not to micromanage faculty, but AP reported that his approach later put him at odds with regents who wanted a president who would respond more quickly to political controversy.
Welsh’s downfall came in September 2025 after AP reported he initially told a student he would not fire lecturer Melissa McCoul for discussing gender identity in a children’s literature course, before ultimately firing McCoul. Two months later, AP said, Texas A&M regents approved systemwide restrictions on classroom discussion of race, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity unless the course and relevant materials are approved in advance by a university president. The regents also prohibited faculty from teaching material inconsistent with an approved syllabus, according to the report.
Texas A&M’s interim president since Welsh’s resignation has been Tommy Williams, a former Texas lawmaker and Texas A&M alumnus who previously served as a top government relations official for the system. In the broader context, AP said Texas 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 those changes have argued they keep universities focused on their core mission, while opponents have said the changes undermine universities’ mission as spaces for open inquiry.
Ballabina’s appointment drew mixed reactions from faculty leadership. Leonard Bright, president of the Texas A&M chapter of the American Association of University Professors, said the selection brought “some level of relief” because faculty worried regents might pick a politician. But Bright also said Ballabina’s lack of classroom and research experience raises concerns, including whether she would stand up for faculty when political attacks arise.
B. Don Russell, a Texas A&M professor and chair of the university’s distinguished professors group, offered a more supportive view. He said Ballabina was “among the most open for discussions with faculty” of the administrators he had worked with, and he argued that her experience across the university system and in state politics would serve A&M well. Russell said he did not see her lack of a traditional classroom background as a major limitation.
Ballabina will take over as Texas A&M prepares to close out its spring semester. AP reported that final exams ended Tuesday, commencement began Wednesday, and ceremonies in College Station continue through Saturday, according to the university’s academic calendar. In remarks after the vote, Ballabina said, “This is an important moment for us,” adding that the university would celebrate 150 years, roll out a new strategic plan, and focus on “what matters — and that’s our students; that is our life-changing research; and that is our staff who help us do everything.”