Gov. Abbott Names New Student Regent to Texas Tech Board of Regents

AUSTIN – Gov. Greg Abbott has appointed Hand Michael Annabi as he student regent for the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents for the 2022-23 academic year. 

According to the Governor's office this week, Annabi, originally from Trenton, New Jersey and a high school graduate from Coronado High School in El Paso, is a fourth-year medical student at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso (TTUHSC El Paso) Paul L. Foster School of Medicine. Annabi becomes the 17th student to serve on the Board of Regents and just the second student from TTUHSC El Paso (Jeremy W. Stewart, 2016-17).

“I am incredibly proud of Hani for his appointment to this prestigious position with the TTU System Board of Regents,” said TTUHSC President Richard Lange, M.D., M.B.A. “He is a reflection of the hardworking, talented students at TTUHSC El Paso, and his accomplishments at the Foster School of Medicine have well-prepared him to share his leadership skills and passion for our university system and the communities it serves.”

Annabi was a Dean’s List recipient while earning his undergraduate degree from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and graduated in 2015 with a degree in natural sciences from the Krieger School of Arts & Sciences. He remained at Johns Hopkins earning a Master of Global Business Administration with a concentration in health administration in 2017 from the Carey Business School, and he earned a Master of Science in biophysics and physiology from Georgetown University in 2018.

Annabi was a four-year letterwinner on the Johns Hopkins football team (2011-14) where he helped lead the Blue Jays to four consecutive Centennial Conference championships, a 41-5 overall record and four straight trips to the NCAA Division III Football Playoffs.

In 2015, Annabi was recognized as an inductee into the National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society, which is presented yearly to student-athletes across the country for their work in the classroom and football field.

Annabi has played an integral role in community service activities and leadership roles among the student population at TTUHSC El Paso. Since 2019, he has served as a teaching assistant providing curriculum and principles in physiology and pathology to medical students at the Foster School of Medicine.

Annabi was a student coordinator for two years (2020-21) helping organize fundraising events and raising awareness on behalf of the Movember Foundation focusing on research for prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health.

“I want to welcome Hani as our student regent and congratulate him on this appointment,” said Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D., chancellor of the TTU System. “This is an exciting opportunity for Hani where he can provide impactful leadership and develop as a servant leader for more than 63,000 students across our five institutions of Texas Tech University System. I look forward to working closely with Hani during his tenure on the board.”

Annabi is currently involved with numerous professional and student organizations, including the American Medical Association, Texas Medical Association, Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons and American Medical Society for Sports Medicine.

In addition to his participation with the Movember Foundation, Annabi spent time as a volunteer business consultant with Innova Healthcare in Hyderebad, India, and the Johns Hopkins Department of Physiology; where he was a student volunteer with Be The Match; and was the founder of the Wheel-2-Win organization during his time on the Georgetown University campus.

Annabi will serve a one-year term, effective June 1 and set to expire on May 31, 2023. His first Board of Regents meeting will take place Aug. 11-12 on the campus of Angelo State University (ASU) in San Angelo, Texas. He replaces Keaghan Holt of ASU, who was appointed in 2021.