Texas Governor Greg Abbott has named eight members to the new Public Sector Artificial Intelligence Systems Advisory Council, with half of the appointees currently serving as chief information officers for major state agencies.
Among the four CIOs appointed to the board of directors is Heather RoomCIO at Texas Workforce Commission. Hall led the deployment of 150+ AI and automation use cases across its agency, including tools for customer service, civil rights investigations and legislative analysis. She is also overseeing the deployment of a new customer relationship management platform that integrates AI for chat support and workflow optimization.
Sylvia Hernandez Kauffman, who was named CIO of Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) earlier this year. With more than 16 years of public sector experience, including nearly 12 in 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 his leadership, the HHSC is prepare several technology purchases worth more than $5 million each, including initiatives related to eligibility systems, video surveillance and AI-based modernization across key service areas.
Tina McLeod, IT director of Attorney General’s Officealso joins the board of directors. She was involved in the agency’s recent IT transformation. efforts and participated in statewide forums highlighting the role of automation and digital strategy in improving service delivery.
Representing the transport sector, Anh SelissenCIO at Texas Department of Transportationhas oversaw numerous AI implementation initiativesincluding AI-assisted accident report processing, system integration automation, and a 300-person Microsoft Copilot pilot. She also implemented National Institute of Standards and Technology-aligned risk assessments and robust governance protocols to guide the agency’s AI strategy.
The other appointees bring experience in finance, law and private sector technology. Ronald Steffa, CFO of Texas Department of Criminal Justiceprovides expertise in purchasing and budgeting. David Bolduc, public counsel in the Office of Public Insurance Counsel, has held senior legal positions at several agencies during his nearly five decades of practice.
Jaclyn Beerens, vice president of consulting services at Synthetic imageand Josh Chacona, regional vice president at Snowflake, bring additional perspectives from outside government.
Each member of the board of directors will serve until September 1, 2027.
This story first appeared in Industry Insider — Texaswhich is part of e.Republic, Government Technology parent company.
