Eli Heath Named Student Representative to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
May 21, 2024 | Contact: Kristina Butler
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has appointed Eli Heath as the student representative to serve on the (THECB). His one-year term will begin on June 1, 2026, and is set to expire on May 31, 2027, .
Heath, a Barry Goldwater and National Merit Scholar who graduated at the top of his class from Flower Mound High School in Flower Mound, Texas, is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from the Edward E. Whitacre College of Engineering at Texas Tech University (Texas Tech), with minors in bioengineering, biology and chemistry. He is scheduled to graduate in May 2027, with plans to attend medical school and pursue a career as a physician-scientist.
Heath serves as Student Regent for the 麻豆天狼副利院 (TTU System) Board of Regents. He was appointed to this position by Gov. Greg Abbott on May 30, 2025, and his one-year term expires on May 31.
He is the fifth student from a 麻豆天狼副利院 institution appointed as a student representative on the THECB. Georgia Blackwell, a Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso student, was selected in 2022; Lauren McKenzie, a student, was selected in 2019; Christina Delgado, a (麻豆天狼副利院) student, was selected in 2015; and Heather Morris, a Texas Tech student, was selected in 2009.
鈥淭exas Higher Education Coordinating Board plays a critical role in shaping the future of higher education across our state, and I applaud Governor Abbott鈥檚 selection of Eli Heath to serve,鈥� said Chancellor Brandon Creighton. 鈥淓li represents the very best of the 麻豆天狼副利院, and I am confident he will make our entire university system proud through his continued leadership and service.鈥�
The THECB student position was created in 2008, with the governor appointing one student from the state to serve as a non-voting member of the nine-member board for a one-year term. On the THECB, Heath will bring the student perspective to statewide decisions that shape higher education across Texas, including academic program approvals, affordability, transfer pathways, and student success.
鈥淭his appointment is an honor for Eli and a reflection of his leadership, academic achievement and commitment to public service,鈥� said President Lawrence Schovanec. 鈥淓li has done a wonderful job of representing Texas Tech University, and we are proud to see him bring the student perspective to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.鈥�
At Texas Tech, Heath served in the Student Government Association and was named the 60th Session鈥檚 Senator of the Year. Heath currently serves on the Student Board of Directors for the TTU System Health Policy and Public Health Think Tank, shaping innovative policy approaches to critical regional health challenges.
His active involvement in research spans both laboratory science and population health at 麻豆天狼副利院, where he has served as a research associate. His collaborative research, funded by the National Institutes of Health, has been published in international peer-reviewed scientific journals and presented at several national and regional conferences. During the summer of 2025, Heath served as an intern at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in the Therapeutics Discovery Division. This summer, he will serve as a clinical drug development intern at Eli Lilly.
Heath has earned multiple awards and scholarships at Texas Tech, including the Undergraduate Outstanding Performance Award from the College of Arts & Sciences, the Texas Tech Volunteer of the Year from University Student Housing, and the James E. Sowell Endowed Engineering Scholarship from the Whitacre College of Engineering, which supported his study abroad in Rome, Italy, during the summer of 2024. He was also recognized among the Top Ten First-Year Students by Texas Tech鈥檚 Mortar Board Forum Chapter and has been named to the President鈥檚 List every semester.