Texas State Board Member Keven Ellis Honored with a National Distinguished Service Award

Alexandria, Va.—The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) is pleased to present Keven Ellis of Texas with the 2026 Distinguished Service Award. This national award honors state board of education members who have made exceptional contributions to education. It is the highest award NASBE can bestow on a state board member.

Dr. Keven Ellis has served on the Texas State Board of Education since January 2017, representing District 9, a large region of East Texas. He was first elected in November 2016 and subsequently reelected in 2020 and 2022. Dr. Ellis was appointed by Governor Greg Abbot to serve two terms as board chair, from September 2019 to December 2023, and has represented Texas as a commissioner of the Education Commission of the States. He is also the immediate past chair of NASBE’s board of directors.

During his tenure as state board chair, Dr. Ellis oversaw updates to major academic standards, including science, health, and social studies, with particular emphasis on strengthening civics education within the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. He also led the board in modernizing Texas’s instructional materials review and approval processes, improving quality controls while increasing local districts’ flexibility in selecting instructional materials.

As a champion for mathematics improvement, Dr. Ellis has spoken at conferences about how Texas updated its middle school math standards to encourage more students to complete advanced math coursework. He has also been heavily involved in school finance and fiscal oversight as a board member of the Texas Permanent School Fund and vice chair of the Texas Commission on Public School Finance, during which he laid the groundwork for landmark legislation that increased state funding, revised district formulas, expanded teacher compensation, and modernized public school finance statewide.

Governor Abbott once noted that “Dr. Ellis’ steadfast commitment to public education helped us build opportunities to ensure a brighter future for all Texas children.” A board resolution echoed this sentiment.

Dr. Ellis has served as NASBE’s board chair and its southern area director. He has said that the most valuable part of NASBE membership is the relationships built among members and the opportunity to learn from one another.

“As chair of NASBE’s board, Dr. Ellis helped strengthen professional development, peer collaboration, and governance support for state board members across the nation—enhancing state-level leadership capacity at a critical time for public education policy,” said Dr. Audrey Young, member of the Texas state board.

“Keven has always believed the real work happens when you stay in the room with people who see things differently,” said NASBE President and CEO Paolo DeMaria. “That’s exactly how he led both the Texas board and NASBE’s board of directors: with humility, with evidence, and with a constant focus on what actually helps students. We are proud to recognize a career built on that kind of leadership.”

NASBE’s full slate of annual awards will be presented during its Annual Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, October 26‒28, 2026.

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