Dr. Renu Khator is the president of the University of Houston, Texas' premier public metropolitan research and teaching institution. Khator also is the chancellor of the UH System – which includes UH, UH-Downtown, UH-Clear Lake and UH-Victoria and teaching centers at Sugar Land and Cinco Ranch as well as the TV and radio stations KUHT and KUHF.

She assumed this dual appointment in January of 2008. In her capacity as chancellor, Dr. Khator oversees a system with an annual operating budget that exceeds $1 billion and serves more than 59,000 students.

During her first year, the UH System experienced record-breaking student enrollment and private support. Additionally, the University of Houston saw one of its academic programs – Entrepreneurship in the College of Business – ranked #1 in the nation, its community outreach being recognized as top-tier by the Carnegie Foundation, and the Cougar football team winning its first bowl game in 28 years! Khator credits these victories to her faculty, staff and students.

Khator is the UH System's first woman chancellor and the first Indian immigrant to head a comprehensive research university in the United States.

Among her many honors and achievements, Khator recently joined some of the most respected leaders in the world by being named to the Indian Prime Minister’s Global Advisory Council. She serves on numerous advisory boards and councils, including the Greater Houston Partnership.

Prior to her appointment at the University of Houston, she was provost and senior vice president at the University of South Florida, capping a 22-year career at that institution.

Khator earned a bachelor's degree at the University of Kanpur. She received her master's degree and her Ph.D. in political science from Purdue University. A noted scholar in the field of global environmental policy, Khator is widely published and greatly respected by her peers.

Renu's husband, Dr. Suresh Khator, is associate dean of the Cullen College of Engineering. They have two daughters, both of whom are ophthalmologists.

Her life philosophy, she says, is simple:

“When life gives you lemons and everyone else is busy making lemonade, think about making margaritas!”