Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Erin Smith, O.T.D., and Lynn Wilde, and reappointed Eddie Jessie to the Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners. Their terms will expire on February 1, 2031. The board is responsible for licensing and regulating occupational therapy services in Texas.
Erin Smith, from Dallas, works as an occupational therapist and hand therapist at OrthoTexas. She is a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association and the Hand Therapy Academy. She previously held memberships with the Texas Occupational Therapy Association (TOTA) and the American Society of Hand Therapists. Smith volunteers with Lake Highlands Church and Feed Lake Highlands. She holds a Master of Occupational Therapy from Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and a Doctor of Occupational Therapy from Texas Woman’s University.
Lynn Wilde, based in Houston, serves as a certified occupational therapy assistant at the Harris County Department of Education. She sits on the Lone Star College Advisory Committee for the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program and was previously involved with TOTA. Wilde earned her Associate of Applied Sciences in Occupational Therapy Assistant from Lone Star College – Tomball.
Eddie Jessie, also from Houston, is an aftercare housing coordinator at The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD Services. He formerly co-chaired the Houston Mayor’s Commission on Disabilities, serves as an advisory board member for the Texas A&M University Center on Disability and Development, and is a committee board member for Volunteers of America. Jessie received his Bachelor of Science in social work and criminal justice along with a Master of Arts in sociology and counseling from Prairie View A&M University.
The Office of Texas Governor Greg Abbott maintains its main offices in Austin at the State Insurance Building according to its official website. Since being elected in 2014, Greg Abbott has led this office statewide, focusing efforts on job creation, economic opportunity expansion, education improvement, individual liberty protection, parental empowerment in schooling decisions, and security along the southern border [source]. Under his leadership, Texas has seen strong job growth and record employment levels [source]. TIME recognized Abbott among its 100 Most Influential People in 2024 [source].
