Chancellor, UH System

President, University of Houston

Renu Khator is the chancellor of the University of Houston System — the longest-serving chancellor in the state of Texas — and president of the University of Houston. In 2008, she broke boundaries and glass ceilings when she assumed her appointments and became the first female chancellor in the state of Texas and the first Indian immigrant to lead a comprehensive research university in the U.S.

Khator was born in Uttar Pradesh, India. She received her B.A. in Liberal Arts from Kanpur University, her M.A. in Political Science from Purdue University, and her Ph.D. in Political Science/Public Administration also from Purdue. A noted scholar in the field of global environmental policy, she has published numerous books and articles on the subject.

Purdue University awarded her a Doctor of Social Sciences degree, honoris causa, in 2009. She has received many other awards, including the “Outstanding American by Choice Award” given by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to recognize achievements by naturalized U.S. citizens. Khator also received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award from the president of India, the highest recognition conferred on overseas Indians based on their “significant contributions” to their homeland.

Khator is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and has served on several prestigious boards, including the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, the NCAA Board of Governors, and the Indian Prime Minister’s Global Advisory Committee, among others.