Governor Greg Abbott has named eight individuals to the Public Sector Artificial Intelligence Systems Advisory Board, with terms running through September 1, 2027.
The appointees include Heather Hall, Ph.D., Sylvia Hernandez Kauffman, Tina McLeod, Anh Selissen, Ronald Steffa, David Bolduc, Jaclyn Beerens, and Josh Chacona.
Heather Hall is the chief information officer at the Texas Workforce Commission. She also serves as president of the Texas Association for Strategic Solutions and Collaboration in Computing (TASSCC), is a member of several professional organizations including the State Agency Coordinating Committee IT Subcommittee and Project Management Institute, and acts as registrar for the Austin Colony chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Hall holds degrees from Baylor University, The University of Texas at Austin, and a doctorate from the University of North Texas.
Sylvia Hernandez Kauffman is chief information officer at the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHS). Her previous roles include Inspector General for HHS and leadership positions within that agency. Before joining public service she worked as a software development leader at Exxon Company USA. Kauffman earned her undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Stanford University and a master’s in Public Policy from Harvard University.
Tina McLeod serves as chief information officer for the Texas Office of the Attorney General. She was formerly deputy director of IT applications at HHS and has been an advisory board member for Austin Women in Technology. McLeod received her Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from UT Austin.
Anh Selissen is chief information officer for TxDOT (Texas Department of Transportation) since September 2019. Previously she was deputy CIO for the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Selissen studied Geology at Baylor University before earning a master’s degree in Geoscience from Michigan Technological University.
Ronald Steffa works as chief financial officer for TDCJ (Texas Department of Criminal Justice). His past roles there include deputy CFO and director of contracts and procurement. He also volunteers as a deacon and Sunday school teacher at University Heights Baptist Church. Steffa holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Business Administration from Sam Houston State University.
David Bolduc leads as agency head and public counsel at OPIC (Office of Public Insurance Counsel). He has held legal positions across various state agencies during his nearly five-decade career including with TDI (Texas Department of Insurance), TNRCC (Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission), OAG (Office of Attorney General), and Department of Agriculture. Bolduc graduated from Bowdoin College with a degree in Government before obtaining his law degree from UT School of Law.
Jaclyn Beerens is vice president for consulting services at CGI. She previously served on advisory boards such as TASSCC and Healthier Texas Board. Beerens graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Management from Georgia Tech.
Josh Chacona is regional vice president for solution engineering at Snowflake; he previously held sales engineer roles with Oracle and National Instruments after working as manufacturing process engineer at Scapa North America. Chacona holds an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from California State University.
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