Aaron Kinsey, Amarillo’s representative on the Texas State Board of Education has been appointed chair by Governor Greg Abbott.

Kinsey is taking over from Dr. Kevin Ellis, who has served as chair since 2019. Kinsey’s term as chair is set to expire on December 17th, 2025.

Kinsey, who is from Midland, is the representative for District 15, which covers the Panhandle region and extends as far south as McCulloch County. Kinsey was first elected in 2022, beating incumbent Jay Johnson.

During the campaign, Kinsey told The Amarillo Pioneer that his first priority was “to defend our children’s curriculums and textbooks, ensuring that we are teaching history and social studies without shaming and dividing our students.” He also noted that he supported ensuring that Texas textbooks and our library books do not contain content that sexualizes our children or encroaches upon parental rights.”

Kinsey announced his reelection campaign earlier this year. Kinsey, a Republican, does not have any primary challengers, though he is set to face Democrat Morgan Kirkpatrick and Libertarian Jack Westbrook in November.