West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission Chancellor Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker has been named the chair of the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) Executive Committee.
Dr. Tucker is Chancellor of the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC) and Chancellor of the Community and Technical College System (CTCS). She is the first person to simultaneously hold these two roles – and the first woman to serve as CTCS Chancellor.
Tucker previously served the SHEEO Executive Committee as treasurer during 2021-22, and chair-elect during 2022-23.
“It’s with great pleasure we announce Dr. Sarah Tucker as the executive committee chair,” said Dr. Robert Anderson, president of SHEEO. “Dr. Tucker has been a great thought-partner and colleague to SHEEO throughout her tenure in West Virginia. Her depth and breadth of experience will continue to serve our community well, and we are thrilled to work with her and our entire Executive Committee in service of our students.”
SHEEO, the national association of the chief executives of statewide governing boards and coordinating boards for postsecondary education, works to assist its members and states in developing and sustaining excellent systems of higher education. The Executive Committee is responsible for shaping SHEEO’s federal priorities and strategies and for leading its communications with Congress, the U.S. Department of Education, and other federal agencies.
“I am honored to serve as the new executive committee chair of the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association,” said Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker, West Virginia’s Chancellor of Higher Education. “There are remarkable achievements happening across the country that are paving the way for more people to continue their education and succeed throughout their lives. By bringing state higher education leaders together around policies and strategy, SHEEO creates even more of these opportunities. At a time when education and training are more important than ever, I am looking forward to serving in this role to help advance higher education on a national stage and bring even more new ideas to West Virginia.”
Dr. Tucker became Interim Chancellor of HEPC in April 2019 and Chancellor in June 2020. Under her leadership, West Virginia adopted its first-ever statewide dual enrollment program, launching as a pilot in 2023 to provide free college courses for high school students across the state. Under her leadership as CTCS Chancellor since 2015, West Virginia has made enormous strides in taking community and technical education to the next level. A hallmark of her championship on behalf of West Virginia’s students was the State Legislature’s passage of a free community college bill in March 2019. As a result of her hard work and state leaders’ forward-looking investment, the WV Invests program now provides students with last-dollar-in grants that cover the full costs of tuition and fees at the state’s nine community and technical colleges.
The full SHEEO Executive Committee is as follows:
Officers:
Chair: Sarah Tucker, West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission
Past Chair: Ben Cannon, Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission
Chair Elect: Clayton T. Christian, Montana University System
Treasurer: Ginger Ostro, Illinois Board of Higher Education
Members:
Brian Bridges, New Jersey Office of the Secretary of Higher Education
Allison Garrett, Oklahoma State System of Higher Education
Shannon Gilkey, Rhode Island Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner
Harrison Keller, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Chris Lowery, Indiana Commission for Higher Education
Dennis Olson, Minnesota Office of Higher Education
Noe Ortega, Massachusetts Department of Higher Education
Aaron Thompson, Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education
