Governor Abbott appoints Eltife to a new six-year term

TYLER — Governor Abbott Tuesday announced the appointment of Kevin P. Eltife to a second six-year term as a member of The University of Texas System Board of Regents. First appointed as a regent in 2017, Eltife was elected board chairman in December 2018. His first term was slated to run through February 2023, but with two years left on his current term Governor Abbott reappointed Eltife to a new six-year term. One of Eltife’s early priorities as a Regent was to streamline the UT System’s administrative operations, with the intent of reducing overhead to redirect funds to UT institutions to support their students and patients. He oversaw a sweeping review of System Administration functions that resulted in a reduction of full-time employee positions from more than 900 when he joined the board to approximately 440 positions.

Eltife was instrumental in the concept and decision to unite UT Tyler and UT Health Science Center at Tyler to comprehensively serve the educational, health and economic needs of East Texas. Working closely with state legislators and UT Tyler President Dr. Kirk Calhoun, Eltife now remains focused on the creation of a proposed new medical school to ensure that the region has adequate health care professionals for the long term, and to provide students with a clear pathway from undergraduate education to graduate and professional programs in their communities.

Eltife formerly served as a state senator representing District 1, as mayor of Tyler and as a member of the Tyler City Council. He also previously served as a gubernatorial appointee to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and has served voluntarily in leadership roles with numerous nonprofit and educational organizations. He currently serves on the board of the Tyler Police Foundation and as a director at Citizens 1st Bank, and is the owner of Eltife Properties Ltd.