Rolando Pablos abruptly resigned from the Public Utility Commission this week, less than two years after his September 2011 appointment. His term would have been up in September of this year.

Vistasp Karbhari, currently the provost at the University of Alabama and a former professor of engineering at the University of California-San Diego, is the sole finalist for the presidency of the University of Texas at Arlington.

Joe Krier of San Antonio is the new chairman of the board for the SH 130 Concession Co., which operates the southern section of that toll road.

Gov. Rick Perry appointed:

• Katherine Cabaniss of Houston as judge of the 248th district court. She is executive director of Crime Stoppers of Houston and a former assistant district attorney in Harris County.

• David Alders of Nacogdoches, John “Bob” Garrett of Tyler, and Barry Nelson of Dallas to the board of regents at Stephen F. Austin State University. Alders is president of Carrizo Creek Corp. and manager of Caddo Farms LLC and Dagwood Timber LP. Garrett, a reappointee, is president and CEO of Fair Oil Co. and Fair Management Co. Nelson is president of Interra Partners LLC. Garrett and Nelson have degrees from SFASU.

• John Esparza of Austin, Rick Francis of El Paso, and Tim Lancaster of Abilene as regents at the Texas Tech University System. Esparza, a former aide to Perry, is CEO of the Texas Motor Transportation Commission. Francis, a reappointee, heads Weststar Bank and Francis Properties. Lancaster is president and CEO of Hendrick Health System. All three have degrees from Tech.

Deaths: Kevin Kennedy, at various times a journalist, a political and campaign worker, a broadcaster, a government worker, an association employee and, for reasons of his own, a Chicago Cubs fan. He was 59.