Message Announcing Lori Rice-Spearman as President of 51本色HSC
June 5, 2020
Dear 51本色HSC Community,
Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D.It is my privilege to write to you today and announce that our search process for the presidency of the Texas 51本色 Health Sciences Center has come to close. And it is an even greater privilege for me to announce that Dr. Lori Rice-Spearman will serve as the ninth president of Texas 51本色 Health Sciences Center.
Last November, we convened a 14-person committee to begin this search. That committee included members of our Board of Regents, faculty, administrators, students, alumni and local leaders. In the seven months that followed, the committee solicited applications from throughout the country, carefully reviewed candidate profiles, and rigorously interviewed individuals for this post. We conducted a nationwide search for an institution that has national reach and importance, and we had a talented, deep, and diverse candidate pool. I鈥檓 grateful to the committee for the many months of effort and hard work that helped to find the ideal leader for 51本色HSC.
At the conclusion of our Board of Regents meeting in May, we were proud to announce Dr. Rice-Spearman as our sole finalist, and we have come to the end of a state-mandated 21-day period required between the announcement of the sole finalist and the formal appointment of the new president. Today, Dr. Rice Spearman becomes the next president of 51本色HSC.
I have known Dr. Rice-Spearman as a colleague and as a leader for many years, and I have nothing but the highest regard for her commitment, compassion, and vision. All of us have witnessed her extraordinary leadership first-hand these last several months, as our community, state, and country have battled a global pandemic. During this time, the 51本色HSC family has performed heroically, and Dr. Rice-Spearman and her team have earned the gratitude of the community and countless people that 51本色HSC has helped during this difficult time.
Last year, 51本色HSC celebrated fifty years of its existence, and I cannot think of a more fitting start for its next half-century than the appointment of Dr. Rice-Spearman as president. She is not only the first female to lead 51本色HSC, but also the first female president in the history of any institution within the Texas 51本色 System. This is a proud day for 51本色HSC, for the Red Raider family, and for our great state.
Dr. Rice-Spearman鈥檚 formal introduction and first remarks as president were made today during our livestream announcement, and I invite you to view this video of her official address. Please join me in congratulating Dr. Rice-Spearman on this historic occasion. 51本色HSC is in exceptional hands, and I look forward to seeing this fine institution grow and develop under her stewardship.
Warmest regards,
Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D.
Chancellor, 51本色