AUSTIN – The Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) today announced Kevin Roberts, Ph.D., as its new Executive Vice President. Roberts succeeds Executive Director Arlene Wohlgemuth, who will retire in May 2016 after a long and distinguished career in public service and the conservative movement.
“After an exhaustive national search, I am delighted to welcome Dr. Kevin Roberts as the Foundation’s new executive vice president,” said TPPF President and CEO Brooke Rollins. “Dr. Roberts is a distinguished academic mind, a keen policy analyst, and is dedicated to our cause of liberty. And as important as any of these, he is a man passionate about our Lone Star State. I look forward to working with him in ushering in the next phase of our organization’s growth.”
“I have been a fan of the Texas Public Policy Foundation since the late 1990s, when I was a graduate student in History at the University of Texas,” said Roberts. “Of course, since then, the Foundation has grown immensely in size, reputation, and influence. Consequently, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with Brooke Rollins to lead the Foundation, as it is the leading state-based think tank in the nation. I am particularly excited to be working with the Foundation's outstanding staff and Board of Directors. Furthermore, as someone who has implemented the spirit of Lone Star Liberty in my various leadership roles during the past decade, I am ecstatic to be part of the organization which has promoted those values in Texas, and which will export those values to the country. The future of our American Republic—not just Texas—needs the Foundation.”
Dr. Roberts received his Ph.D. in History from the University of Texas at Austin, his M.A. from Virginia Tech University, and his B.A. from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He has taught at universities and colleges, including New Mexico State University, Austin Community College, Kaplan University, and the University of Louisiana.
He was appointed president of Wyoming Catholic College in 2013, making him one of the youngest college presidents in the nation. He also co-founded and was the first President and Headmaster of John Paul the Great Academy, a Catholic classical school in Louisiana. The Academy was designated a Top 50 Catholic High School in the United States by the Cardinal Newman Society. Dr. Roberts and his wife Michelle have four children.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation is a non-profit, free-market research institute based in Austin, Texas.