Cindy Akers, Ed.D., serves as vice provost for Administrative Affairs. She manages strategic hires, partner accommodations, and faculty retention. She is responsible for searching for and onboarding new deans, department chairs, and other administrators. She works with college deans to recruit, appoint, and review associate deans, department chairs, school directors, and area coordinators. Akers represents the Provost or Office of the Provost in meetings and events as needed. In addition, Akers serves as liaison and manager for cross-institutional partnerships that do not fall with the Office of Academic Partnerships. She represents the university and the provost, as appropriate, in higher education organizations such as TCCAO within Texas or nationally. She serves as the Provost's Office liaison with the Texas Tech System Board of Regents and prepares academic affairs items for the Board of Regents meeting agendas. She serves as a liaison or Provost's representative in the new Big 12 Academic Alliance and represents the Provost's Office in facility planning activities. 

Prior to this role, Akers served as Interim Dean of the Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources for a year and a half, and before that, was the Associate Dean for Academic & Student programs for eight years. As interim dean, she had a broad portfolio, overseeing academic and budget administration for the college with direct reports, including the chairs of each of the college's seven departments, enrolling about 3,100 students, and having more than 108 faculty members. 

She received her bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary agriculture in 1991, a master's degree in agricultural education in 1992, and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction in 2000, all from Texas Tech. Akers joined the Texas Tech faculty as an instructor in 1997, earning promotion to assistant professor in 2000, and associate professor in 2006. She became a full professor in 2011 and was named Davis College's Assistant Dean in 2011 and Associate Dean for Academic & Student Programs in 2013. During that time, she also served as the agricultural communications undergraduate program coordinator and the college's Dr. Bill Bennett Student Success Center director.