THECB Student Representative

Georgia Blackwell Named Student Representative to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

Blackwell, of Venus, Texas, is pursuing a Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has appointed Georgia Blackwell as the student representative to serve on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB). Her one-year term will begin immediately and will expire on May 31, 2023, Abbott’s office announced yesterday (June 8).

Blackwell, originally from Venus, Texas, is currently pursuing a Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry from the Woody L. Hunt School of Dental Medicine at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso (TTUHSC El Paso). She is scheduled to graduate in May 2025.

She serves as the Student Government Association (SGA) president and has held numerous positions for SGA at TTUHSC El Paso. She also served as the fundraising co-chair for the American Student Dental Association in 2021-22. Blackwell is currently involved in the Dental Outreach Committee and the Academy of General Dentistry.

Blackwell becomes the fourth student from a Texas Tech University System institution to be appointed as a student representative on the THECB. Lauren McKenzie, a Texas Tech University (TTU) student, was selected in 2019; Christina Delgado, a Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center student, was selected in 2015; and Heather Morris, a TTU student, was selected in 2009.

The student slot was created in 2008 with the governor appointing one student in the state to serve as a non-voting member for a one-year term on the nine-member board.

“Our entire TTUHSC El Paso community is thrilled for Georgia’s appointment to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and I’m confident her leadership will positively impact students from across Texas,” said TTUHSC El Paso President Richard Lange, M.D., M.B.A. “As a member of the inaugural class of the Hunt School of Dental Medicine, she has demonstrated a passion for advancing our community, while investing her time advocating for our talented students. These experiences will undoubtedly contribute to her success in this new endeavor.”

Blackwell graduated Magna Cum Laude from Oklahoma State University (OSU) in 2021 with an honors degree in biochemistry and molecular biology with a minor in general business. As an undergraduate student, Blackwell served as the vice president of administration and on multiple committees for Alpha Omicron Pi and attended the organization’s international convention and leadership institute.

She received countless awards and achievements while at OSU, including the 2021 Dean’s Award of Excellence in the Ferguson College of Agriculture; OSU Senior of Significance; Ferguson College of Agriculture Senior of Distinction; James E. Webster Award – OSU Biochemistry Molecular Biology Department; National Junior Angus Association Gold Award; and Alpha Omicron Pi Collegiate Woman of Leadership Award, to name a few.

“This will be a rewarding and fulfilling opportunity for Georgia to serve her fellow students in Texas as a representative on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board,” said Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D., chancellor of the TTU System. “We take extreme pride in her role representing higher education students across the state, as well as the Texas Tech University System and our institutions on the coordinating board this upcoming academic year.”

About the Texas Tech University System 
Established in 1996, the Texas Tech University System is one of the top public university systems in the nation, consisting of five universities – Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Angelo State University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso and Midwestern State University.

Headquartered in Lubbock, Texas, the TTU System is a $2.5 billion enterprise focused on advancing higher education, health care, research and outreach with approximately 21,000 employees, more than 63,000 students, nearly 370,000 alumni and an endowment valued at $1.7 billion. In its short history, the TTU System has grown tremendously and is nationally acclaimed, operating at 24 academic locations in 21 cities (19 in Texas, 2 international). 

During the 87th Texas Legislature under the leadership of Chancellor Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D., the TTU System welcomed MSU Texas as its fifth member institution during the 25-year anniversary of the system. MSU Texas is the only Texas university to become a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. Students at MSU Texas choose from more than 60 majors and several pre-professional programs, are active in more than 100 student organizations and bring a spirit of competition to 13 NCAA Division II athletics programs. 

In addition, the TTU System is one of only nine in the nation to offer programs for undergraduate, medical, law, nursing, pharmacy, dental and veterinary education, among other academic areas.

For TTU System news and updates, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube – @TTUSystem.