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Texas A&M Interim President Tommy Williams interviews in The Battalion newsroom on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025.

Interim president steps into new role By Ian Curtis Editor-in-Chief

Texas A&M Interim President Tommy Williams ‘78 wants to make one thing very clear: He isn’t seeking the position permanently. “It was the only condition that I would consider the position on,” Williams said. “I am not the right person to lead this university on a long-term basis. I understand that I am very good at helping solve problems and turn things around. I’ve done this before in state government, and I think I can do it here.” When Williams first got word from Texas A&M University System Chancellor Glenn Hegar asking if he’d be willing to take over the role of interim president, the first thing he said was he felt surprised, as he wasn’t looking to take on the job. But according to Willaims, he and his wife are “all-in, money, marbles and chalk.” “The chancellor and I have been friends for over 20 years,” Williams said. “I know his wife; we admire them a great deal. They’re great family, and he surprised me, but I’m honored that he thinks I can do the job, and we’re going to do the very best that we can to make sure we don’t disappoint him in that.” Hegar and Williams’ relationship dates back to their days in the Texas Legislature, when Hegar ran for a Texas House district that overlapped with Williams’ senate district. “Tommy Williams has a deep understanding of the mission of Texas A&M and the values that define our university,” Hegar said in a news release from the A&M System. “His experience in public service and his commitment to the Aggie community will serve us well as we continue to move forward.”

After graduating from A&M in 1978 with a degree in business administration and embarking on a business career, Williams served as a Republican representative for parts of Southeast Texas in the Texas House from 1997 to 2003 and later in the Texas Senate from 2003 to 2013 while continuing his career in financial work. He then served the A&M System as vice chancellor of governmental relations from 2014 to 2018 and as an advisor to Gov. Greg Abbott from 2017 until his retirement in 2019. “[The vice chancellor role] was an easy fit for me to make,” Williams said. “I understood the political world, and that’s what I was responsible for. And so I think how that helps me today is that I learned more about higher

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friends of ours,” Williams said. “Betty and my wife, Marsha, are in a Bunco group together. Not sure how much Bunco they play, but the Welshes host the spouses of that group at their home once a year, and I’ve done that a couple of times. … I have tremendous respect for his service to our country, and also for the position that he’s left A&M. He’s left us in a good place, and what we need to do is focus on what things are going right and make sure that we continue those things.” ‘I’ve done my job well if they feel like I’ve listened to them’

His political experience may be the headliner, but Williams says he brings what he learned in the business world to this new role,

No one cares about how much you know until they know how much you care about them. Tommy Williams ‘78 Interim President

education while I worked here, and how that works. … So it was very educational, and I think it’s going to serve me well in this role.” Williams takes on the role of interim president following the resignation of former President Mark A. Welsh III, who left the office in the wake of a leaked video which captured an in-class altercation that led to the termination of a professor and the removals of a department head and the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from their administrative duties. But Williams was complimentary of Welsh and says that his departure hasn’t created any new tension. Instead, Williams is looking forward to the university’s future. “I consider Mark and [his wife] Betty to be

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Tommy Williams ‘78 looks to continue A&M’s positive momentum after career in business, politics brought him back to Aggieland

too. “Folks think that if you’re, for instance, a salesman, a good salesman does a lot of talking,” Williams said. “Actually, a good salesman listens to his prospect a lot and finds out if there’s a way for him to help that person or not. … No one cares about how much you know until they know how much you care about them.” It’s that same listening mindset that Williams is already bringing to the Office of the President. He says it’s the main thing he wants students to think of when they picture him in the office. “I’m a good listener,” Williams said. “I hope that’s what they feel like. I’ve done my job well if they feel like I’ve listened to them

and addressed their concerns.” Throughout his first weeks on the job, Williams has been making the rounds across campus in an attempt to connect with students, faculty, former students and other stakeholders in the future of Aggieland. “I hope people will come away believing that I listen to them,” Williams said. “ … There’s lots of constituencies, if you will, that need to be heard. I want to know what their concerns are, and as we determine what those things are, we’ll be able to formulate a plan of how we move forward through this interim period.” Some of those early conversations have been with members of faculty — the sort of conversations he hasn’t had since his prior role with the A&M System, Williams said. “The thing that was very reassuring to me was especially, you know, I hadn’t visited with the faculty in a long time, and so they all love the university,” Williams said. “I knew the students would love the university — I wasn’t surprised by that — but there are a lot of committed people that are helping make this a great place that it is.” Williams says he’s honored to have the opportunity to lead and provide stability to his alma mater while the Board of Regents searches for a permanent president. “And actually, there’s not much turning around that needs to be done,” Williams said. “What needs to happen is people need to start focusing on all the good things that are happening here, and we need to give the Board of Regents the time to be able to make a good selection for the next leader.” An Aggie legacy Williams’ ties to A&M date back to long before his own time as a student. He grew up in a family of Aggies, as his father played football at A&M and all four of his siblings attended school in Aggieland.

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