Rey Rodriguez has over 20 years of experience in government relations, public policy
and planning and program development in local, regional, state, and federal government.
He currently serves as the chief strategy officer for the University of North Texas
System.
As chief strategy officer, he oversees the office of Government Relations, the office
of Academic Affairs, and serves as a member of the Chancellor’s Cabinet. As Chief
Strategy Officer, Mr. Rodriguez provides strategic counsel to the chancellor, system
and campus leadership and works to develop and advance innovative opportunities and
long-term solutions for UNT System and its institutions.
Previously, Mr. Rodriguez served as the deputy commissioner and chief of staff for
the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. In this role, he oversaw numerous divisions
within the agency including Human Resources, Information Technology, External Relations,
Communications, Policy, Financial Services, and Student Financial Aid Programs.
He previously served as associate vice chancellor for Government Relations and chief
policy operations officer for the UNT System, where he was instrumental in developing
strategic approaches to System priorities and engaging diverse stakeholders – including
students, faculty, administration, elected officials, and community leaders – in order
to achieve collaborative, defined outcomes.
Prior to joining the UNT System, he served as an advisor to the Commissioner of Social
Security, and in various roles within the United States Congress and Texas House of
Representatives.
Mr. Rodriguez is a native of Austin, Texas and educated through the public school
system. He received his master’s degree from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the
University of Texas, and his bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University where he
was a National Science Foundation scholar. He is an alumnus of Leadership Austin and
the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Leadership in State and Local Government.
