University of Texas at Arlington President Jim Spaniolo announced his retirement after eight years. He will stay on until a search for his replacement has been completed.

The University of Texas at El Paso has selected Cheryl Torsney as its new senior vice provost. Torsney most recently served as interim provost and vice president for academic affairs at the State University of New York at New Paltz.

Gov. Rick Perry appointed Jeff Moseley, former head of the Greater Houston Partnership and of Perry's own economic development division, to the Texas Transportation Commission. Moseley was Denton County Judge before joining the state's economic development agency.

The University of Texas at Arlington has announced the appointment of Shakeela J. Hunter, formerly of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as the university’s first director of student financial literacy.

Whitney Brewster is the new executive director of the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. She was previously head of Alaska's DMV and held a number of other posts in that state's government. She's a Houston native and starts in early August.

Mark Eidman is joining Ryan Law, where he'll be senior partner in the Austin office of that tax litigation firm. He'll remain as a principal in Dallas-based Ryan LLC, a tax consultancy. Eidman had been with Austin-based Scott Douglas & McConnico. 

J.D. Salinas joins Advent GX as managing partner. He's a former Hidalgo County Judge and most recently was regional administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration.

Jeff Clark is the new executive director of The Wind Coalition. He's been the chief lobster for TechAmerica for more than five years, working a 13-state region that includes Texas.

Theresa Lucas is leaving the Texas Legislative Service after nearly 28 years there. She's been putting up with us for a long time, and we hope she has a very happy retirement.

The week's endorsements include:

• Former Rep. David McQuade Leibowitz for Tina Torres, who faces Philip Cortez in the HD-117 Democratic runoff. The winner will face Rep. John V. Garza, R-San Antonio, in November.

• All of his former opponents endorsed Barry Smitherman for Railroad Commission over his runoff opponent, Greg Parker. Elizabeth Murray-Kolb and Al Lee combined for 28 percent in the first round.

• The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association PAC for Roger Williams in the CD-25 runoff against Wes Riddle.

• Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, hosted a Dallas fundraiser for Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, who's in a runoff with Donna Campbell in that SD-25 race. Campbell won an endorsement from Texans for Fiscal Responsibility.

• Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, for Jamaal Smith in the HD-137 runoff against Gene Wu. Smith is Ellis' former policy advisor.

• Conservative Republicans of Texas for Stephanie Klick in her HD-91 runoff with Ken Sapp.

• The Texas Farm Bureau's AGFUND threw in with Smitherman for one railroad commission seat and Warren Chisum over Christi Craddick for the other; with Supreme Court Justice David Medina over John Devine in that runoff; and David Dewhurst over Ted Cruz in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.

Married last weekend: Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, and Margaret Lleanna Elizondo, a Realtor and public school counselor.