The University of Texas System regents named former state Sen. Kevin Eltife as their new board chairman following a unanimous vote on Thursday.

Eltife, a former Republican from Tyler, was appointed to the board in 2017 by Gov. Greg Abbott and has been an outspoken critic of UT System growth and spending.

He will take the place of former board chair Sara Martinez Tucker, who announced her early resignation in October. Tucker’s resignation came two years before the expected end of her term in 2021. She planned to remain chair until mid-January, but stepped down early so the new chair would be in place for the entire legislative session, which is set to reconvene on Jan. 8.

“Chairman Eltife has a bold vision for UT Austin in service of the state as a world-class university,” University President Gregory Fenves said in a campus-wide email. “I look forward to working with him in his new role as chairman of the board.”