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.
June 9, 2022 | Contact: Scott Lacefield
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).
Georgia BlackwellBlackwell, 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 state of Texas and nation, consisting
of four universities—Texas Tech University, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Angelo State University and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso.
Headquartered in Lubbock, Texas, the TTU System is a $2 billion enterprise focused on advancing higher education, health care, research and outreach with approximately 20,000 employees, over 54,000 students, more than 340,000 alumni and an endowment over $1.3 billion.
In its short history, the TTU System has grown tremendously and is nationally acclaimed, operating on 17 campuses statewide and internationally. Under the dynamic leadership of Chancellor Dr. Tedd L. Mitchell, the TTU System has set forth a bold vision of excellence, collaboration and innovation and continues to prove that from here, it’s possible.