Vistasp M. Karbhari, the provost at the University of Alabama, remains the sole candidate for the presidency of the University of Texas at Arlington following a meeting of the UT System Board of Regents that was hastily called to revisit his prospective employment.

Karen Johnson is going part-time at United Way of Texas and picking up another job at Power Across Texas, and will stay with the first one through the session and the year while United Way looks for a new CEO. She’s been with them for 13 years. 

Matt Hirsch moved to the building next door, leaving the Capitol media offices of Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst for the nearby media offices of Attorney General Greg Abbott. Before the government gig, he worked in Dewhurst’s campaign office.

Matthew Ladner is joining the Texas Public Policy Foundation for the legislative session to help them with school choice issues. He worked on education issues in Florida for then-Gov. Jeb Bush.

Gov. Rick Perry appointed:

• Jeff Hildebrand of Houston, Ernest Aliseda of McAllen and Paul Foster of El Paso to the University of Texas System Board of Regents. Hildebrand is chairman and CEO of Hilcorp Energy Company, Aliseda is the managing attorney of Loya Insurance group and a municipal judge for the city of McAllen, and Foster, a reappointee, is the executive chairman of Western Refining Company.
• Three regents to the Texas State University System, including two reappointments in Charlie Amato of San Antonio and Bill Scott of Nederland. The new regent is Vernon Reaser III of Bellaire, president of the Texas Teachers Alternative Certification and Texas Educators Association. Amato is chairman of SWBC. Scott is chairman and CEO of Trans-Global Solutions.
• Andres Alcantar to another term on the Texas Workforce Commission. He current chairs that panel; before joining TWC, he worked on the governor’s policy staff. 
• William “Barry” James, and orthodontist from Palestine, to the Upper Neches River Municipal Water Authority’s board. That’s a reappointment.
• Douglas Wilson to another term as inspector general of the state’s Health and Human Services Commission.
• Charles Bacarisse of Houston and Cynthia Villa of El Paso to the Texas Department of Information Resources. Bacarisse is a veep at Houston Baptist University and a former Harris County Clerk. Villa, a CPA, is a veep at UT-El Paso.
• Chris Crouch Graham, owner of Hondo’s in Fredericksburg, to the State Preservation Board.
• Joe Ward, a rancher and retired businessman from Telephone, to another term on the Soil and Water Conservation Board.