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The Humanities Texas Board of Directors formulates policy, approves programs and projects, reviews grant applications, participates in fundraising, and promotes organizational activities. Directors are selected for knowledge of or involvement in the humanities and represent both the academic and public spheres. The Governor appoints as many as six members, with the rest elected through an open nominations process.

Recently elected members Carlos Kevin Blanton, Michael Fischer, Francisco Guajardo, Kirsten Ostherr, and Carol Foxhall Peterson joined the board on January 1, 2026. On January 14, 2026, Governor Abbott appointed Julie Ruehle as a new board member and reappointed Stacey Neal Combest and Ellen K. Ramsey. Please join us in welcoming our new board members and congratulating those whose terms have been renewed! We are pleased to share brief biographies of our new board members below.

The Humanities Texas Board of Directors meets at the AT&T Conference Center in Austin in November 2025.
Carlos Kevin Blanton

Born and raised in the small town of Freer, Texas, in a family of schoolteachers, Carlos Kevin Blanton is the Barbara White Stuart Professor of Texas History in the Department of History at The University of Texas at Austin. He holds a PhD from Rice University and an MA from Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University). His books and articles examine the intersection of
Chicana/o history with education, civil rights, immigration, politics, and Texas history.

Carlos Kevin Blanton.

Michael Fischer

Michael Fischer is the Janet S. Dicke Professor in Public Humanities at Trinity University. He holds a PhD and an MA from Northwestern University. From 2000 to 2016, he served in a range of administrative positions at Trinity, including vice president for academic and student affairs and interim president. He is the author of numerous books and articles on literary criticism and aesthetics, including most recently How Books Can Save Democracy (Trinity University Press, 2025).

Michael Fischer.

Francisco Guajardo

Francisco Guajardo is the chief executive officer of the Museum of South Texas History in Edinburg, a position he has held since September 2019. Previously, he was a professor and administrator at The University of Texas–Rio Grande Valley. A native of Elsa, Texas, he began his professional career as an English and history teacher at Edcouch-Elsa High School. Guajardo earned an interdisciplinary PhD and an MA in history from The University of Texas at Austin. He has authored or coauthored three books and more than seventy articles.

Francisco Guajardo.

Kirsten Ostherr

Kirsten Ostherr is the Gladys Louise Fox Professor and founding director of Rice University’s Medical Humanities Research Institute. She holds a PhD from Brown University and an MPH from the UTHealth School of Public Health. She is the author of several books, studies, and curricula on topics including trust and privacy in digital health ecosystems and humanistic AI and health equity. She received the Health Humanities Visionary Award from the International Health Humanities Consortium in 2024. 

Kirsten Ostherr.

Carol Foxhall Peterson

Carol Peterson is the retired general manager of the historic Gage Hotel in Marathon, Texas, where she worked for more than twenty-one years in senior leadership roles. She holds a BS from Texas Tech University and a culinary arts degree from the French Culinary Institute in New York City. Peterson was appointed by Governor Rick Perry to the Governor’s Commission for Women, where she served two terms as chair. Her volunteer work has included many years with Frontier CASA and her current role on the Brewster County Tourism Council.

Carol Foxhall Peterson.

Julie Ruehle

Julie Ruehle is the CEO of the Ruehle Family Office. She holds a BA in accounting from the University of Houston and an MBA from the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School. She serves on the board of the Austin AI Hub and actively supports early-stage innovation through her investing and advisory work. Ruehle serves as a Student Board Executive Committee mentor for the Kendra Scott Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute at The University of Texas at Austin. She is a TEDx speaker and a frequent guest in graduate-level business and entrepreneurship courses.

Julie Ruehle.