Texas Christian University has appointed Thomas “Tom” Wavering as its first chief university strategy and innovation officer, beginning in July. In this newly created executive role, Wavering will collaborate with TCU leadership to advance the university’s mission and vision, focusing on fostering innovation and academic excellence.

“Tom is a builder, innovator, and team player, and we are thrilled to welcome him to TCU,” President Daniel W. Pullin said in a statement. He added that Wavering’s “strategic and entrepreneurial mindset, coupled with his strong background in higher education and expertise in innovation,” will help the university reach its highest aspirations as it envisions the future and writes “the next chapter.”

According to Pullin, the new chief university strategy and innovation officer position is derived from “the playbooks of leading national universities that are on the rise.” He emphasized the importance of growing TCU’s “innovation mindset” to attract and retain top students, faculty, and staff, improve student outcomes and success, and strengthen the university’s academic profile.

In his role, Wavering will work closely with academic and administrative leaders to identify and develop strategic initiatives, partnerships, and technologies that enhance TCU’s academic excellence, research capabilities, and societal impact in Fort Worth and beyond, the university said.

Poised to achieve goals in a ‘vibrant powerhouse’

Wavering said he is honored to join TCU’s leadership team. “Higher education is changing, but TCU’s mission, vision, and values are everlasting,” he said. “With that at our core and our position in the vibrant powerhouse that is the Fort Worth community, we’re poised to achieve our goals and more.”

Before joining TCU, Wavering served as executive director of the Tom Love Innovation Hub and as an entrepreneurship faculty member at the University of Oklahoma. There, he combined his background in research and development with his passion for education and innovation to build and lead Oklahoma’s largest entrepreneurial support organization, which, according to the university, generated an economic impact of over $400 million.

Prior to his role at OU, Wavering was vice president of strategic technologies at Intelligent Automation Inc., where he supported organizational culture development strategies and led business development and technology transfer activities. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech, with a minor in creative writing.

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