Governor Greg Abbott has appointed eight individuals to serve on the Public Sector Artificial Intelligence Systems Advisory Board. The terms for these appointments will end on September 1, 2027.
The appointees include Heather Hall, Ph.D., who is the chief information officer at the Texas Workforce Commission. Hall also leads the Texas Association for Strategic Solutions and Collaboration in Computing (TASSCC) and is involved with several professional organizations. She holds degrees from Baylor University, The University of Texas at Austin, and the University of North Texas.
Sylvia Hernandez Kauffman serves as chief information officer for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHS). Her previous roles at HHS include Inspector General and other leadership positions. Before joining public service, she worked in software development at Exxon Company, USA. Kauffman studied computer science at Stanford University and public policy at Harvard University.
Tina McLeod is chief information officer for the Texas Office of the Attorney General. She previously held IT leadership roles within Texas Health and Human Services and served on an advisory board for Austin Women in Technology. McLeod earned her degree in computer science from UT Austin.
Anh Selissen is chief information officer for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), where she has led IT operations since 2019. Previously, she was deputy CIO for the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Selissen holds degrees from Baylor University and Michigan Technological University.
Ronald Steffa is chief financial officer at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). He has also worked as deputy CFO and director of contracts and procurement at TDCJ. Steffa participates in community activities through his church and received business degrees from Sam Houston State University.
David Bolduc leads the Office of Public Insurance Counsel as agency head and public counsel. His legal career spans over four decades with experience across various state agencies including roles as attorney, general counsel, division chief, and deputy general counsel. Bolduc studied government at Bowdoin College before earning a law degree from UT School of Law.
Jaclyn Beerens is vice president of consulting services at CGI with prior experience serving on boards related to technology strategy and health initiatives in Texas. She graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology with a management degree.
Josh Chacona works as regional vice president of solution engineering at Snowflake after holding technical sales roles at Oracle and National Instruments, as well as engineering positions earlier in his career. Chacona holds a mechanical engineering degree from California State University.
