Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has appointed eight members to the newly formed Public Sector Artificial Intelligence Systems Advisory Board, with half of the appointees currently serving as chief information officers for major state agencies.
Among the four CIOs named to the board is Heather Hall, CIO at the Texas Workforce Commission. Hall has led the deployment of more than 150 AI and automation use cases within her agency, including tools for customer service, civil rights investigations and legislative analysis. She is also overseeing the rollout of a new customer relationship management platform that integrates AI for chat support and workflow optimization.
Joining Hall is Sylvia Hernandez Kauffman, who was named CIO of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) earlier this year. With more than 16 years in the public sector, including nearly 12 at Health and Human Services, Kauffman previously served as the agency’s inspector general, where she advocated for IT modernization to drive cost savings and operational improvements. Under her leadership, HHSC is preparing several technology procurements worth more than $5 million each, including initiatives related to eligibility systems, video surveillance and AI-driven modernization across key service areas.
Tina McLeod, CIO for the Office of the Attorney General, also joins the board. She has been involved in recent agencywide IT transformation efforts and has participated in statewide forums highlighting the role of automation and digital strategy in improving service delivery.
Representing the transportation sector, Anh Selissen, CIO at the Texas Department of Transportation, has overseen numerous AI implementation initiatives, including AI-assisted crash report processing, system onboarding automation and a 300-person pilot of Microsoft Copilot. She has also implemented National Institute of Standards and Technology-aligned risk assessments and strong governance protocols to guide the agency’s AI strategy.
The other appointees bring experience in finance, law and private-sector technology. Ronald Steffa, chief financial officer for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, brings procurement and budgetary expertise. David Bolduc, public counsel at the Office of Public Insurance Counsel, has held senior legal roles across multiple agencies as part of his nearly five decades of practice.
Jaclyn Beerens, vice president of consulting services at CGI, and Josh Chacona, a regional vice president at Snowflake, contribute additional perspectives from outside government.
Each member of the board will serve through Sept. 1, 2027.
This story first appeared in Industry Insider — Texas, part of e.Republic, Government Technology’s parent company.
Chandler Treon is an Austin-based staff writer. He has a bachelor’s degree in English, a master’s degree in literature and a master’s degree in technical communication, all from Texas State University.