A “cabinet level” official in the office of the president at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) worked in a series of diversity, equity, and inclusion positions and has an extensive history of promoting “LGBTQIA” causes.
Dr. Jody Randall, a biological male who identifies as a “transgender female”, is the current vice president and chief experience officer at TTUHSC.
Texas Scorecard requested Randall’s personnel file from the Texas Tech University System on March 16. Following a series of delays, Texas Tech released the file on May 12.
Randall’s professional trajectory is characterized by a career-long dedication to advancing DEI with a primary historical focus on LGBT advocacy.
As one example of the extensiveness of Randall’s advocacy, a search for the phrase “LGBTQIA” in Randall’s personnel file uncovers at least 220 matches in the 180-page document:
Randall’s foundational advocacy work began at Murray State University, where he completed a Bachelor of Integrated Studies focused on human services and a Master of Science in human development and leadership. During his tenure at Murray State from 2001 to 2017, Randall developed a “Safe Zone Project Resource Manual” and co-authored the university’s comprehensive 2011–2015 diversity plan.
Randall also served as the “founding LGBT Coordinator,” establishing the “institutional infrastructure for LGBT programming” and spearheading educational campaigns to build “campus-wide allyship.”
“When you’re a boy you’re taught you need to like He-Man, you need to like masculine toys,” Randall told a Murray State publication in 2015. “But when I was little, running around in the yard playing, I always wanted to be She-Ra.”
In January 2017, Randall moved to Texas Tech University (TTU), assuming the role of director of the newly-founded Office of LGBTQIA Education and Engagement under a split-reporting structure to Student Affairs and the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
At TTU, Randall’s primary focus centered on “enhancing institutional inclusivity” through “systemic evaluation and programming.” Within less than four years, Randall navigated the university toward achieving and maintaining a 4.5-star designation on the national Campus Pride Index.
In this position, Randall built “critical cross-departmental partnerships” to integrate “inclusive institutional practices” with Texas Tech Athletics.
Randall’s LGBTQIA advocacy at TTU was heavily anchored in “signature programmatic design” and “community gathering.” He spearheaded the planning and implementation of significant annual events including “Pride Week” and “Lavender Graduation.”
Randall designed and executed the Big 12 LGBTQIA & Allies Summit, transforming it into a prominent annual national convening for students, faculty, staff, and external partners dedicated to “educational equity.”
During this time, Randall was a member of the “Leadership Team” for the NASPA “Gender and Sexuality Knowledge Community.” NASPA “endeavors to advocate alongside and support trans & queer professionals in higher education.”
Randall’s dedication to queer advocacy also intersected directly with academic curriculum development at TTU. Beginning in the fall of 2019, he joined the department of Women’s and Gender Studies as an instructor, designing and teaching a specialized introductory curriculum focused on “sexuality and queer feminism.”
In June 2021, Randall applied for the inaugural position of vice president of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Randall promoted his ability to deploy “data-driven DEI strategic plans” as part of the application for this position.
Randall formally entered TTUHSC as a direct agency transfer on January 1, 2022, transitioning him from campus-level student affairs and LGBTQIA advocacy at TTU into enterprise-wide executive administration at a major health sciences institution.
In this position, Randall reports directly to TTUHSC President Lori Rice-Spearman.
During the 2022–2023 fiscal year, Randall’s position was rebranded from a DEI specific role into the broader role of vice president and chief experience officer within the newly established Division of Excellence and Culture.
“The Vice President of Institutional Excellence and Culture and Chief Experience Officer position was established to support the continued advancement of the university’s strategic growth and success. Dr. Randall was appointed to this position based on proven experience and qualifications,” a TTUHSC spokesperson told Texas Scorecard.
Randall’s responsibilities in this position are significantly more vague than his responsibilities in his previous positions.
According to his TTUHSC biography, Randall currently “is responsible for oversight and management of TTUHSC’s efforts to strengthen the culture of achievement for learners and team members while guiding the integration of presidential priorities, university strategy, and other long-term objectives across the University.”
The TTUHSC spokesperson added:
“Dr. Randall serves as a senior strategic leader and advisor to the President, providing executive oversight and leading efforts for initiatives that advance institutional excellence, cultivate a values-based organizational environment, support the university strategy, enhance the experience of learners and team members, and strengthen organizational effectiveness through innovative thinking and change management.”
The description continued in a way that appears to obscure rather than clarify what Dr. Randall actually does in practical terms. The TTUHSC statement continued:
“Dr. Randall oversees the development and implementation of structures, processes, and programs that support strategic priorities, strengthen engagement, and promote continuous improvement across the institution, such as strategic planning and institutional master planning.”
Critics have charged that Randall’s current position was created to allow TTUHSC to continue DEI-themed activities without using DEI terminology.
Throughout Randall’s tenure at TTUHSC, he has received “exceptional” annual performance appraisals directly from Rice-Spearman. His reviews consistently demonstrate marks of “Exceeds Expectations” across vital performance metrics, including “Job Knowledge,” “Quality of Work,” and “Communication.”
Rice-Spearman repeatedly highlighted Randall’s “high emotional intelligence.”
“TTUHSC evaluates all team members based on performance, professionalism, leadership, and their ability to advance the institution’s mission. The university maintains high expectations for its senior leadership team, and performance evaluations reflect whether those expectations are being met. Consistent with those standards, Dr. Randall’s evaluations have reflected performance that meets or exceeds expectations,” TTUHSC’s spokesperson explained.
Currently, Randall operates under the direct administration of the president and has ultimate operational and budgetary control over the division. His primary mandate is to serve as a “key strategic advisor” to the president and executive chief of staff on “all matters involving institutional culture and university-wide planning.”
Randall is responsible for “translating the university’s vision into concrete operational steps,” establishing “measurable key performance indicators (KPIs)” to “monitor the campus climate,” and “ensuring total compliance with all local, state, and federal administrative frameworks.”
Randall is currently charged with overseeing the Office of People and Values, ensuring that “values-based growth opportunities” are “uniformly accessible to both learners and team members.”
Randall also works on TTUHSC’s “strategic enrollment management plan” and spearheads efforts “to enhance opportunities relating to TTUHSC’s designation as a Hispanic-Serving Institution.”
TTUHSC released the following statement in response to a request for comment on this article:
TTUHSC has taken its obligations under SB 17 seriously and remains committed to full compliance with both the letter and spirit of the law. There are no DEI offices, programs, or initiatives at TTUHSC. The institution understands that compliance requires more than renaming, rebranding, or continuing prohibited activities under a different structure.
TTUHSC is singularly focused on merit, student success, and providing support services that are available to all team members. In 2024, a Texas Tech University System Internal Audit review determined that TTUHSC had taken the necessary steps to comply with SB 17. The institution continues to monitor its policies, practices, and organizational structures to ensure ongoing compliance.
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is a component of the Texas Tech University System. The Texas Tech University System is overseen by a Board of Regents that is appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Texas Senate. Cody Campbell of Fort Worth is the current board chairman.
