The former leader of Texas A&M’s college of agriculture and a former Aggie interim president is coming out of retirement.
The A&M system board of regents Tuesday named Dr. Mark Hussey the sole finalist as president at A&M-Kingsville.
The regents also named a sole finalist to lead TEEX…the A&M engineering extension service.
David Coatney has been the fire chief in Dallas for the last two years, and before that he was fire chief in Round Rock for five years.
The appointments of Hussey and Coatney will become official following a 21 day waiting period as required by state law.
News release regarding Mark Hussey from the Texas A&M system:
The Texas A&M University System Regents today named Dr. Mark Hussey as the sole finalist for the position of President of Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
Hussey is a long-time leader in The Texas A&M University System, having served as Vice Chancellor and Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences from 2008 until 2018 and as the Director of Texas A&M AgriLife Research from 2004 until 2008.
He also was Interim President of Texas A&M University for 15 months during 2014-15.
“Dr. Hussey’s wealth of administrative experience in the A&M System will pay immediate dividends to Texas A&M-Kingsville,” said Charles W. Schwartz, chairman of the Board of Regents. “He is a perfect fit for Kingsville.”
Schwartz and Regent Phil Adams led a 12-member search committee to find a replacement for President Steve Tallant, who is retiring at the end of January.
“Mark’s breadth of experience spans the most prolific agriculture research in the country, the best agricultural academics in the country and 15 months running Texas A&M University,” said Chancellor John Sharp. “He did a great job in each of these and I predict he will oversee the rise of Texas A&M-Kingsville to a whole new level.”
After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in biology at the University of Illinois, Hussey finished his graduate work at Texas A&M with a Ph.D. in Plant Breeding in 1983. He rose through the faculty ranks at Texas A&M, becoming professor and department head of Soil & Crops Sciences before becoming an administrator with the A&M System.
As Vice Chancellor and Dean, Dr. Hussey oversaw the construction of the Agriculture Complex that consolidated agriculture’s academic programs on the west campus. As Interim President of Texas A&M, Dr. Hussey identified funding to begin construction of the academic complex at Texas A&M at Galveston and helped initiate the planning for Texas A&M’s campus in McAllen.
Under state law, university governing boards must name finalists for president at least 21 days before making an appointment. The Board of Regents will meet again to make the appointment.
News release regarding David Coatney from the Texas A&M system:
Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp announced today that the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents has named David E. Coatney as the sole finalist for the position of Director of the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX). Coatney was selected during a telephonic meeting of the Board of Regents.
“The work of Texas A&M Extension Service, which oversees Texas Task Force 1, is the best kept secret of The Texas A&M University System, from workforce training to rescuing thousands from disasters and teaching the rest of the nation how to rescue people,” said Chancellor John Sharp. “I am confident David Coatney will continue to improve upon the agency’s great tradition of public service.”
Coatney currently serves as Fire Chief for the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department for the City of Dallas, Texas, where he has served since July 2016. Prior to that, Coatney was Fire Chief of the Round Rock Fire Department in Round Rock, Texas for five years. Previously, he held several positions of progressive leadership over 25 years working for the San Antonio Fire Department, including Chief of Fire Operations and Emergency Management Coordinator. He also currently serves as chair of the State of Texas Governor’s First Responder Council.
Coatney earned a bachelor’s degree in Occupational Education with a major in fire science and a master’s degree in Organizational Management, both from Wayland Baptist University.
Under state law, university governing boards must name finalists for the position at least 21 days before making an appointment. The Board of Regents will consider the final appointment at a later meeting.