{"id":487511,"date":"2026-11-05T23:10:18","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T23:10:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/487511\/"},"modified":"2026-11-05T23:10:18","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T23:10:18","slug":"who-are-the-4-people-leading-texas-gov-elect-gina-hinojosas-transition-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/487511\/","title":{"rendered":"Who are the 4 people leading Texas Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa\u2019s transition team?"},"content":{"rendered":"

AUSTIN, Texas \u2013 Texas Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa announced four members of her transition leadership team Thursday, including a former Republican state lawmaker, a construction union leader, a former Harris County government official and a former Austin ISD trustee.<\/p>\n

The group will lead Hinojosa\u2019s \u201cBy and For the People\u201d transition, preparing her incoming administration to take office in January following her victory over Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.<\/p>\n

Hinojosa said the team will help turn her campaign priorities, including lowering costs for Texas families, strengthening public schools and improving government accountability, into a governing agenda.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will have a bipartisan transition, and we will have a bipartisan administration and government in Texas,\u201d Hinojosa said during Thursday\u2019s news conference.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a closer look at the four people leading the transition.<\/p>\n

Joe Madden \u2014 Executive director<\/p>\n

Houston native Joe Madden will serve as executive director of Hinojosa\u2019s transition team, bringing more than two decades of government and public policy experience to the role.<\/p>\n

Madden previously served as director of public policy for Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and has spent the past eight years working with Harris County elected officials, including helping incoming leaders transition into office.<\/p>\n

His experience includes senior roles in the Texas Legislature and Harris County government, legislative policy work, emergency response coordination and government operations.<\/p>\n

During Thursday\u2019s news conference, Madden said he began his career in government at 18, working in the Texas House while attending the University of Texas at Austin.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve worked in and around government for 23 years,\u201d Madden said.<\/p>\n

He also described his experience managing government responses to emergencies, including floods, fires, explosions and the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as overseeing a multibillion-dollar budget.<\/p>\n

Hinojosa highlighted Madden\u2019s experience with emergency management and government transitions in Harris County.<\/p>\n

Ernest Bailes \u2014 Co-chair<\/p>\n

Ernest Bailes is a former Republican state representative who served four consecutive terms in the Texas House from 2017 to 2025, representing House District 18 in Southeast Texas.<\/p>\n

A fifth-generation East Texan, Bailes grew up working on his family\u2019s dairy and beef cattle operation in Shepherd.<\/p>\n

He graduated from Texas A&M University in 2004 and founded Repro Select, an agricultural services business specializing in reproductive technologies for cattle and deer producers. In 2025, he established EB4 Construction, expanding into residential and commercial construction and real estate development.<\/p>\n

His inclusion is notable because Hinojosa, a Democrat, has pledged to work across party lines as governor.<\/p>\n

Bailes described himself Thursday as a conservative Republican but said he was committed to working with the incoming administration.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will put partisanship aside,\u201d Bailes said. \u201cWe will work together for what is best for the kids of the state of Texas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hinojosa said she and Bailes worked closely together on public education issues while serving in the Legislature.<\/p>\n

\u201cI count him as one of my best allies for public schools,\u201d Hinojosa said.<\/p>\n

Ryan Pollock \u2014 Co-chair<\/p>\n

Ryan Pollock is the executive director and secretary-treasurer of the Texas State Building and Construction Trades Council, an organization representing affiliated construction unions across Texas.<\/p>\n

A sixth-generation Texan, Pollock is a licensed journeyman electrician and member of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 520 in Austin.<\/p>\n

His work with the council focuses on workforce development, infrastructure investment, apprenticeship programs and policies affecting skilled construction workers.<\/p>\n

Pollock also works with labor organizations, government officials and industry representatives on agreements intended to create jobs and expand training opportunities.<\/p>\n

During Thursday\u2019s news conference, Pollock emphasized the importance of workforce training, workplace safety and wages.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is about an economy that works for all Texans,\u201d Pollock said.<\/p>\n

Hinojosa said Pollock\u2019s inclusion reflects her focus on creating economic opportunities for working Texans.<\/p>\n

Tamala Barksdale \u2014 Senior advisor<\/p>\n

Tamala Barksdale is a former Austin Independent School District trustee who previously served alongside Hinojosa on the district\u2019s school board.<\/p>\n

Barksdale served as an at-large trustee from 2010 to 2015. During that time, she and Hinojosa worked together on district finances, including balancing the budget, reducing the tax rate and meeting state accountability standards.<\/p>\n

She currently serves as a partner and chief strategy officer at madeXus, a creative and branding firm, where she helps clients develop business strategies and understand their audiences.<\/p>\n

Her public service experience also includes Austin\u2019s School Health Advisory Council and a joint committee involving the City of Austin, Austin ISD and Travis County.<\/p>\n

Barksdale introduced Hinojosa at Thursday\u2019s news conference, recalling their time working together on the school board.<\/p>\n

\u201cGina was brave, brilliant, commanding and full of heart,\u201d Barksdale said.<\/p>\n

Hinojosa described Barksdale as an ally in supporting public education and said she was pleased to have her involved in the transition.<\/p>\n

More transition appointments expected<\/p>\n

Hinojosa said planning for the transition had been underway for months and that additional leadership appointments would be announced in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n

She said Texans would also have opportunities to submit ideas and r\u00e9sum\u00e9s as the incoming administration takes shape.<\/p>\n

Asked why she was prioritizing a bipartisan transition following Democrats\u2019 election victories, Hinojosa said she wanted an administration that represented all Texans.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to be the governor for just Democrats,\u201d Hinojosa said. \u201cI am going to be the governor for all the people of Texas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hinojosa also confirmed Thursday that she had spoken with Abbott since the election and that their teams remained in communication.<\/p>\n

She said Abbott had pledged to cooperate with the transition<\/a> to ensure a smooth transfer of power.<\/p>\n

Hinojosa is scheduled to take office Jan. 19, 2027.<\/p>\n

Start Here, Houston\"\"<\/p>\n

More Stories Like This In Our Email Newsletter<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"AUSTIN, Texas \u2013 Texas Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa announced four members of her transition leadership team Thursday, including a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":487512,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[24352,6288,288,163641,3496,163643,163642,163640,27,5130,163644,29,28],"class_list":["post-487511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-2026-midterms","tag-decision-2026","tag-elections","tag-ernest-bailes","tag-gina-hinojosa","tag-joe-madden","tag-ryan-pollock","tag-tamala-barksdale","tag-texas","tag-texas-governor","tag-texas-governor-elect","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=487511"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/487511\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/487512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=487511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=487511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=487511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}