Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Brandon L. Simmons as Director of Institutional Policy and Oversight, where he will lead the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Office of the Ombudsman. The appointment is effective until the Governor decides otherwise and is pending Senate confirmation.
The Office of the Ombudsman acts as a link between Texas higher education institutions, the legislature, and the public. Its responsibilities include overseeing institutional governance, student success, financial compliance, data reporting, and other oversight functions.
“Texas continues to lead the nation with more top-ranked research universities and programs than any other state,” said Governor Abbott. “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, from Houston, previously served on the Texas Southern University Board of Regents after being confirmed by the Texas Senate in May 2023. He was chairman of the board from October 2023 to October 2025. Simmons is currently a Distinguished Professor of Business at Wiley University in Marshall, where he also served as Entrepreneur in Residence. His background includes roles as a technology executive, venture capitalist, corporate attorney, and service on various corporate and nonprofit boards.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Juris Doctor from Stanford Law School. Simmons was awarded the John W. Gardner Fellowship, a joint honor from Stanford University and the University of California. After law school, he clerked for Chief Judge J.L. Edmondson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
