Texas A&M AgriLife announces new leadership roles within Vice Chancellor’s office
Changes help position Texas A&M AgriLife for long-term success following appointment of Dr. Susan Ballabina
New leadership roles have been announced in the Texas A&M AgriLife Vice Chancellor’s office, after the recent appointment announcement of Susan Ballabina, Ph.D., as vice president for academic and strategic partnerships for Texas A&M University, effective Sept. 1.
“A considerable amount of time has been devoted to creating a new administrative structure that fills the void of Susan’s departure and also positions Texas A&M AgriLife for long-term success,” said Patrick J. Stover, Ph.D., vice chancellor of Texas A&M AgriLife, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and director of Texas A&M AgriLife Research.
Assuming new leadership roles
Elsa Murano, Ph.D., director of the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, has been appointed associate vice chancellor for strategic academic initiatives.
In this role, Murano will be responsible for oversight of special projects within Texas A&M AgriLife, including the new strategic plan and food safety and defense initiatives. She will also oversee state and federal relations and lead organizational effectiveness efforts like the Professional Services Customer Advisory Team.
Murano has served as dean and vice chancellor for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, president of the university from 2008-2009, and in 2012 became the director of the Borlaug Institute.
Vic Seidel, chief financial officer for the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, TVMDL, has been appointed associate vice chancellor for finance and operations for Texas A&M AgriLife. He will be responsible for operational functions, including fiscal, human resources, risk and compliance, contracts and facilities, maintenance and construction, as well as information technology.
Seidel has served as assistant agency director for finance at TVMDL since 2009. Prior to that, he served as the director of payroll for Texas A&M AgriLife.
Holly Shive has been named associate vice chancellor for strategic communications and engagement. In this role, she will continue leading Texas A&M AgriLife-wide brand management, media relations, internal and external communications and marketing strategy. She will also oversee digital education, events and alumni relations.
Since 2019, Shive has served as assistant vice chancellor for marketing and communications at Texas A&M AgriLife. Prior to joining the organization, she served as executive director of communications at the Texas A&M Health Science Center, where she led efforts to elevate the Health Science Center brand through strategic content development and public relations outreach.
Chris Skaggs, Ph.D., will continue to serve as associate vice chancellor for producer relations, a role he assumed in April.
As associate vice chancellor, Skaggs works with producers, stakeholders, commodity groups and former students to strengthen the partnerships between industry and Texas A&M AgriLife on educational, research and extension initiatives.
Skaggs also provides leadership for the Texas A&M AgriLife Sounding Board and will continue to serve as associate dean for undergraduate programs within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
