Nationally known as an education thought leader and higher education policy expert, Dr. Renu Khator is currently serving as Chancellor and President of the University of Houston System/University of Houston where she oversees a four-university system that serves nearly 74,000 students, has an annual budget that exceeds $1.8 billion and has a $6 billion-plus impact on the Greater Houston area’s economy each year.

Throughout her nearly 35-year career, Dr. Khator has directed the transformation of complex global organizations responsible for fulfilling critical and challenging missions worldwide in the health, technology, and energy industry.

Before joining the University of Houston System in early 2008, Dr. Khator held a variety of increasingly responsible executive positions within higher education, including Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at University of South Florida and Dean, College of Arts and Sciences at University of South Florida.

A champion of public universities, Dr. Khator has served on several leading national associations and advisory boards, including serving as the former Chair of the American Council on Education, the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.

A native of India, Dr. Khator earned her Bachelor degree from Kanpur University and her Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy from Purdue University.