Memorandum

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. David Troutman as the new Deputy Commissioner for Academic Affairs at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB). In this role, Dr. Troutman will be a key member of the executive team, providing leadership on operational and strategic matters that pertain to all aspects of academic affairs and innovation. He will also play a critical role in advancing the goals of Building a Talent Strong Texas and the Governor?s Tri-Agency Workforce Initiative.

Dr. Troutman has extensive experience in Texas higher education having most recently served as the Chief Data Officer and Associate Vice Chancellor for Institutional Research and Analysis at The University of Texas System. In this role, he led a team of research and policy analysts to transform data into timely and meaningful information in support of UT System initiatives and policy decisions across its 13 institutions.

Dr. Troutman has a renowned reputation at the national and state higher education levels. He collaborates with federal and state agencies such as the U.S. Census Bureau, Texas Workforce Commission, and nonprofit foundations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Lumina Foundation, and Strada Education Network. He also serves on advisory boards for the National Student Clearinghouse Research Board and ACE?s Carnegie Technical Review Panel.

This year, Dr. Troutman was selected to serve as the inaugural Equity Value Fellow for the Institute for Higher Education Policy. As a part of his work with the U.S. Census Bureau, he founded the Postsecondary Employment Outcomes Coalition, a community of higher education leaders from 22 states who examine U.S. Census data to highlight the economic and non-economic value of postsecondary credentials.

Through these past and current collaborations and roles, Dr. Troutman champions the use of data, policy, and practice to close success and equity gaps that exist throughout the K-12 to workforce pipeline. His work has been featured in peer-reviewed journals and various media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Inside Higher Ed.

Dr. Troutman has a Ph.D. and Masters in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a B.S. in Psychology from Oklahoma State University.