Jorja Kimball has a BBA and MBA from Texas A&I University and a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University in Educational Administration (Dissertation: A Study of Engineering Student Attributes and Time to Completion of First Year Required Course at Texas A&M University). She was with the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University-Kingsville for eight years before her employment with TEES. There she was a Principal Investigator and held a number of leadership positions on projects related to engineering education, such as the $30 million NSF Foundation Coalition for Engineering Education. She also has extensive experience with undergraduate and graduate education, particularly related to underrepresented minorities and women.

Dr. Kimball played a lead role in the development of such NSF funded TEES initiatives as the recent $5 million Texas LSAMP Phase IV, the initial $5 million CREST for Research on Environmental Sustainability of Semi-Arid Coastal Areas (RESSACA) Center at TAMU-Kingsville, the $6 million South Texas Rural Systemic Initiative at TAMU-Corpus Christi, and two STEM Talent Expansion Programs (STEP): $2 million at TAMU, College Station, and $1 million at TAMU Kingsville. She has served as a governor's appointee to the Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation and is a graduate of Leadership Texas Class of 1996. In 2001, Jorja was awarded the TEES Staff Achievement Award for development of statewide mathematics and science partnerships and NSF funded proposals, including new initiatives among regional divisions.

She presents statewide at invited workshops and conferences on engineering education, K-16 partnership development, grant strategies for federal agencies such as NSF, and development of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics research and educational projects.