The Texas A&M System’s chief research security officer will retire by the end of 2026.
Local media in College Station reported that Dr. Kevin Gamache recently informed senior system leadership that he would step down “this year.” No specific date was listed.
Texas A&M intends to name a replacement “by the end of this year.”
Gamache retires following an uneven tenure that drew criticism from conservative watchdogs.
The Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) recently discussed a series of security lapses involving China and Qatar which Gamache’s office failed to uncover. TPPF also said that Gamache’s office has understated the extent of security issues related to Qatar.
A&M System regents voted to close the Qatari campus in 2024. Nevertheless, TPPF has suggested that this action was “far less conclusive than advertised.”
While the Qatari campus will remove Texas A&M’s branding, “the engineering programs, faculty expertise, physical infrastructure, research pipelines, and intellectual property are not disappearing.”
“They are being absorbed and restructured under Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), another institution controlled by the Qatar Foundation located in the same Education City building,” TPPF’s Kate Bierly concluded.
Gamache’s replacement is likely to oversee the Texas Research Security Council, an entity state lawmakers created in 2025. House Bill 127, which created this body, designated the chief research security officer of the Texas A&M System as the initial presiding officer.
TPPF has suggested that an exemption in HB 127 for “affiliated entities that conduct university research,” such as HBKU, was “the very type of loophole that sophisticated foreign actors are most likely to exploit.” The organization also raised concerns about transparency, due to the fact that HB 127 gives wide latitude to keep “much of the information submitted to the Research Security Council … exempt from public disclosure.”
The Texas Research Security Council has not announced plans to elect a new presiding officer.
The Texas A&M System oversees twelve academic institutions and eight state agencies. A Board of Regents, appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Texas Senate, oversees the A&M System. Robert Albritton of Fort Worth is the current board chair.
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