Lynne Waters, who served as spokeswoman for the University of Hawaii system since 2011, is leaving Hawaii for a job with the University of Texas at Arlington.

Waters, a Texas native, was appointed UH’s associate vice president for external affairs and university relations in 2011, with responsibility for public relations, strategic communication, community relations, marketing and brand management. She replaced Carolyn Tanaka.

She will start Feb. 27 as vice president for university communications, the school said in a news release. The university said Waters was “recruited through a highly competitive, national search.”

“I am thrilled and humbled to be joining the UT Arlington team at a time when President (Vistasp) Karbhari has set forth such ambitious goals,” Waters said in the release.

Waters, who holds a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Baylor University, moved to Honolulu in 1981 and worked in TV news as a reporter and co-anchor for KITV4. She also served as a production and programming director for KGMB. She later started her own company, Lynne Waters Communications.

Waters is married to former state Sen. Clayton Hee, who she said will not be moving to Texas.

“This was a family decision based on several factors, including but not limited to an incredible unsolicited professional opportunity offered by the University of Texas at Arlington, the privilege of being closer to my mother, and the wholehearted and unconditional support of my husband,” she said in an email to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.