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Texas Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Fort Worth businessman James R. "Rusty" Reid and Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley to the UNT System Board of Regents. Gov. Perry also reappointed Regent Gwyn Shea to a new six-year term on the board. The appointments are effective immediately.

"The appointment of Rusty Reid and Judge Whitley and the reappointment of Regent Shea provide the UNT System with an extremely strong leadership team," UNT System Chancellor Lee F. Jackson said. "We are excited at the prospect of moving forward in building the UNT System to support our campuses in providing additional educational opportunities for the people in the North Texas region and the state."

Reid is president, CEO and chairman of the board of Higginbotham & Associates. He is a certified insurance counselor, a member of the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas, and a member and past president of the Young Presidents’ Organization, Fort Worth chapter. He also is a board member and executive committee member of the Davey O’Brien Foundation and All Saints’ Episcopal School, a board member of the Community Foundation of North Texas, board member and past chair of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Fort Worth, and a board member of Casa Mañana. He is past chair of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and Fort Worth Sister Cities International. Reid received a bachelor’s degree from UNT.

Whitley, of Hurst, has been the Tarrant County Judge since 2006 and a member of the Tarrant County Commissioners Court since 1996. He is co-founder of Whitley Penn CPAs and Professional Consultants. He is a board member and past president of the National Association of Counties and the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG), and a member and past chair of the NCTCOG Regional Transportation Council. He also is a member of the Texas Association of Counties, Texas Indigent Defense Commission and the Governmental Accounting Standards Advisory Council. He is past chair of the Texas Conference of Urban Counties. Whitley served in the U.S. Navy Reserve. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Arlington.

Shea, of Irving, is a former Texas Secretary of State, former State Representative for District 98 and former Dallas County constable. She is a member of the Baylor Health Care System Board of Trustees, past president of the National Council of Insurance Legislators, a past director of the Irving Chamber of Commerce and past president of the Irving Chamber of Commerce Women’s Division. She is a past member of the Texas Municipal League, Texas Association of Business, Texas Civil Justice League and Texas Association of Concerned Taxpayers. She also is a past advisory board member of the Irving Infant Intervention Center, Irving CARES and Professional Secretaries International. Shea attended UNT and Dallas Baptist University, and is a graduate of the Dallas Baptist University Police Academy.

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