Biography

Higher education changed the course of President Kelly Damphousse’s life. His nontraditional path to earning a degree inspired a lifelong commitment to helping others access the same opportunities. Since assuming the presidency of Texas State University in 2022, Dr. Damphousse has brought that perspective to his leadership of the institution.

Raised in a small fishing village in northern Canada, Kelly moved to southern Alberta during his senior year of high school. After his hopes of a hockey career did not materialize, he set his sights on becoming a police officer. That led him to Lethbridge Community College, where he earned his associate degree in law enforcement (becoming the first in his family to even attend college, let alone graduate). Because he was only 19 when he graduated, he was too young to get a policing job, so he took a job as a prison guard.

After three years “in prison,” he thought his goal of becoming a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer was over. Fortunately, one of his former LCC instructors was a retired Mountie, and he encouraged Kelly to go back to school for a bachelor’s degree. He worked out a deal for Kelly to enroll in the criminal justice program at Sam Houston State University, which is what originally brought him to Texas in 1985.  

The goal was to return to Canada and join the Mounties, but while he was at Sam Houston, Kelly met his future wife, Beth. After graduation and marriage, Beth encouraged Kelly to pursue graduate studies, earning both a master’s degree and Ph.D. in sociology from Texas A&M University. During this time, the couple welcomed two daughters, Kayleigh and Kristen, to the family.

Kelly began his academic career at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, before returning to Sam Houston State as a faculty member, and later joining the faculty at the University of Oklahoma, where he served for 20 years. At OU, he was named Presidential Professor of Sociology in recognition of his nationally acclaimed research on terrorism, substance abuse, and the criminal justice system. He also transitioned into university leadership roles, serving as associate dean and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He also served as OU’s Faculty Athletics Representative and as the founding Faculty in Residence at Headington Hall. Prior to joining TXST, Kelly served as chancellor of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro for five years.  

At TXST, Kelly has presided over a period of extraordinary growth, including record enrollment increases, a steady trajectory toward achieving Carnegie R1 research status by 2027, and the university’s move to the Pac-12 Conference in 2026, which elevated the school’s athletic and academic national profile. Research expenditures have doubled in the past three years and tripled over the last decade. The university has also expanded educational access and invested in initiatives designed to meet students where they are and to serve communities across Texas.  

In addition to serving as a mentor to new presidents for AASCU every year, Kelly has also been actively engaged in national leadership roles, including having served as a member of the NCAA Board of Governors, the NCAA Board of Directors, and Chair of the Sun Belt Conference Board of Directors. He currently serves as the Chair of the Pac-12 Conference Board of Directors.  

As an adopted child, first-generation college student, and community college graduate, Kelly understands firsthand the life-changing impact of higher education. Growing up in a family that opened its home to foster children helped shape his belief that talent and potential exist everywhere, even when opportunity may not. Those experiences continue to inform his commitment to expanding access to higher education at TXST and to ensuring that every student has the chance to succeed no matter their background or starting point.

Inspired by their family’s experience with foster care, Kelly and Beth established a scholarship fund at TXST to support students who have experienced foster care.  

Kelly and Beth’s daughters earned bachelor’s degrees from the University of Oklahoma, Kayleigh in sociology and Kristen in biology. Kayleigh then went on to earn a master’s degree in higher education administration at the University of Kansas and is now the Associate Director for New Student Experiences at Texas State University. Kristen earned her Ph.D. in epidemiology at the University of Memphis and is an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Texas A&M University.