Karan L. Watson

When Dr. Karan L. Watson was named provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Texas A&M University in March 2011, she brought with her an arsenal of administrative experience and a relentless commitment to keeping campus diversity at the forefront of her institution. Part of Watson’s approach over the years has been “… to ask continuously if we really are willing to appropriately change our educational and professional systems and culture so it does value diversity.” Watson, an engineer and the first woman to serve as Texas A&M provost in the university’s 134-year history, is also a regents professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and in the Department of Computer Science. Watson earned three degrees in electrical engineering: a bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. all from Texas Tech University.