Governor Greg Abbott has appointed eight individuals to serve on the Public Sector Artificial Intelligence Systems Advisory Board. The appointments are for terms ending September 1, 2027.
The appointees include Heather Hall, Ph.D., of Austin, who is the chief information officer at the Texas Workforce Commission. Hall also serves as president of the Texas Association for Strategic Solutions and Collaboration in Computing (TASSCC), is a member of several state committees, and holds degrees from Baylor University, The University of Texas at Austin, and the University of North Texas.
Sylvia Hernandez Kauffman of Austin is also named to the board. She is chief information officer at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHS) and previously served as Inspector General for HHS. Her background includes work in software development at Exxon Company, USA. Kauffman earned degrees from Stanford University and Harvard University.
Tina McLeod of Austin will serve as well. She is currently chief information officer for the Texas Office of the Attorney General and has held positions at Texas Health and Human Services. McLeod has a degree from UT Austin.
Anh Selissen of Pflugerville leads the information technology division at the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). She previously worked with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts and holds degrees from Baylor University and Michigan Technological University.
Ronald Steffa of Huntsville serves as chief financial officer for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). He has worked in various roles within TDCJ and is active in his local church community. Steffa received both his undergraduate and graduate business degrees from Sam Houston State University.
David Bolduc of Austin heads the Office of Public Insurance Counsel as agency head and public counsel. With over four decades in legal practice, he has held multiple roles across government agencies including general counsel positions. Bolduc graduated from Bowdoin College and UT School of Law.
Jaclyn Beerens of Austin works as vice president of consulting services at CGI. She previously served on advisory boards related to technology strategy and public health initiatives, with an academic background from Georgia Institute of Technology.
Josh Chacona, also based in Austin, is regional vice president for solution engineering at Snowflake. His previous experience includes technical sales roles at Oracle and National Instruments as well as engineering work in manufacturing processes. Chacona studied mechanical engineering at California State University.
No additional details about specific objectives or upcoming activities for the advisory board were provided with these appointments.
