Dr. Ronald B. McKinley Named Interim Vice President for Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer at Texas Southern University

Texas Southern University has appointed Dr. Ronald B. McKinley as Interim Vice President for Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), bringing more than four decades of senior leadership experience in higher education, academic medicine, healthcare systems, and global organizations.

Dr. McKinley joins the University as Texas Southern advances its 100-Day Audit response plan, which includes strengthening key leadership functions while conducting national searches for critical permanent executive positions, including the CHRO position.  In this role, Dr. McKinley will oversee the University’s human resources operations, including talent acquisition and retention, employee engagement, regulatory compliance, and the modernization of HR systems and procedures.

Dr. McKinley has previously served as Vice President for Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB Health), where he led a major transformation of the institution’s HR function and managed a team of more than 100 HR professionals.  He held executive roles at Texas Children’s Hospital, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and the Marriott Corporation. Most recently, he served as Interim Vice Chancellor for Human Resources and Employee Relations for the Peralta Community College District in Oakland, California, where he led HR operations across four colleges.  He also chaired two International Organization for Standardization (ISO) technical committees focused on human resource management and healthcare organizational management

In addition to his bachelor’s degree, Dr. McKinley holds a Ph.D. in Administration and Management (Organization Development) from Walden University and an MBA in Human Resources Management from the Keller Graduate School of Management. He also holds a lifetime certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).

“Dr. McKinley brings a wealth of seasoned leadership to enable immediate personnel management improvements while we conduct permanent executive searches,” said President Crawford. “His experience will help us strengthen our human resources infrastructure and ensure we are building the systems necessary to support our faculty, staff, and students.”