Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Julie Ruehle and reappointed Stacey Neal Combest and Ellen K. Ramsey to Humanities Texas. Their terms will run until December 31, 2027. Humanities Texas is the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities and supports public programs in fields such as history, literature, and philosophy. The organization is one of 56 nonprofit humanities councils in the United States.
Julie Ruehle from Austin serves as CEO of the Ruehle Family Office. She is a board member at Austin AI Hub and mentors students for the Kendra Scott Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute at The University of Texas in Austin. She is also involved with WIN Angel Network and Ligo Partners. Her academic background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from the University of Houston, an MBA from Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, and executive studies at Columbia University.
Stacey Neal Combest of Huntsville previously chaired the Texas Commission on Special Education Funding. She is certified in alternative dispute resolution, belongs to the Texas Association of Mediators, and was president of Texans for State Supported Living Centers. Combest holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from UH and a Juris Doctor from the University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law.
Ellen K. Ramsey from Midland works as Public Stakeholder Consultant for Energy Transfer and is a partner at Ramsey Petroleum, L.P. She serves on boards including the Midland Chamber of Commerce and Midland Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees. Ramsey is also active with Junior League of Midland and holds PTA lifetime membership. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from UT Permian Basin.
The appointments are part of Governor Abbott’s responsibilities as head of the executive office for Texas, which focuses on initiatives such as economic development, education enhancement, border security efforts, community projects, job growth, and innovation (https://gov.texas.gov/). The Office operates out of Austin’s State Insurance Building (https://gov.texas.gov/) and forms part of the executive branch (https://gov.texas.gov/). Governor Abbott has led this office since his election in 2014 (https://gov.texas.gov/).
