Around the Capitol / On the Move

Fmr. Sen. Don Huffines has been appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to serve as Texas Comptroller, effective August 1st. Huffines replaces Fmr. Sen. Kelly Hancock, who is stepping down on July 31, 2026.

Fmr. Rep. Matt Krause started a new position as Executive Vice President of Institutional Relations at Basin Ventures.

Elizabeth Lacina has moved from the House Appropriations Committee to Speaker Dustin Burrows' office as the policy staffer for State Affairs.

Gianni Snidle is the new Communications Director for the House Democratic Caucus. She previously worked in the legislature in Virginia in several roles.

Joy Davis, formerly of the Texas Farm Bureau, is now the Special Projects Advisor to Rep. Angelia Orr. (h/t The Quorum)

Lucy Tiblier started a new position as Regulatory Affairs and Public Policy Manager at Rowan Digital Infrastructure. She previously was the Dep. Director of the Senate HHS Committee.

Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson recently announced her intention to step down from the position she has held since 2023.

Daniel Salazar has been promoted to Senior Policy Analyst in the office of Sen. Angela Paxton. Prior to his work in the Texas Senate, Salazar worked in the office of US Rep. Michael McCaul.

Gatlin Moncla has left Sen. Brian Birdwell's office to start a new position as Chief of Staff to Sen. Brett Ligon.

Rea Motiwala has recently moved from Arnold Public Affairs to Sen. Joan Huffman's office, as a policy analyst.

Texas Politics Today is produced and sponsored by Arnold Public Affairs, an Austin-based public affairs and lobby firm working with corporate and non-profit organizations for over 25 years.

Be sure to send us news of departures, promotions, births, marriages and other milestones, so we can share it with the Capitol community!

Information can be sent to jim@arnoldpublicaffairs.com or text at 512-431-5385

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Lobby/Association/Other

Rudy Garza was recently named General Manager of LCRA. Previously, Garza was CEO of CPS Energy, replacing Phil Wilson, who is now the CEO of Ascendant Energy.

Noel Candelaria, former president of the Texas State Teachers Association, has been elected vice president of the National Education Association, the nation’s largest labor union.

Megan Mauro is leaving the Texas Association of Business, where she was the CEO and President and is returning to Texas Star Alliance.

Yannis Banks has recently been promoted to Senior Public Involvement Manager at Austin Transit Partnership.

Emiliano Romero has started a new position as Director of Government Affairs at Texas Association for Home Care and Hospice. He most recently was the Director of Advocacy and Public Policy for LeadingAge Texas.

Melvin Pouncy recently became the Executive Director of the Agriculture Teachers Association of Texas. Previously, Mr. Pouncy was a Consulting Specialist at James Madison High School in North East Independent School District.

Heather Sheffield has started a new position as Director of Governmental Relations for the Tx Council of Administrators of Special Education, moving from ATPE where she did advocacy for the organization.

Jeff Miller, longtime Capitol and Republician political staffer is the new Deputy State Director for the Republican National Committee.

Port Houston recently announced the selection of Amy Rister as Director of State Government Relations. Most recently, she served as Committee Director for the Texas House Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs 

Daniel Warner has been promoted to National Policy Director at , after serving as Texas State Director for 18 months.

Sarah Jackson has recently joined Fidelity Investments as Vice President, Government Relations and Public Affairs for Texas. Previously, she was Associate Vice President (Officer) and Central Division Government Relations Director for HNTB. (h/t The Quorum Report)

Tom Oney recently announced his resignation from LCRA, where he was most recently Executive Vice President of External Affairs and Chief People Officer.

John Jackson is joining the national political consulting and public affairs firm,ColdSpark, as Sr. VP. He most recently worked as a consultant for fmr. Sen. Kelly Hancock's Comptroller campaign.

Mike Viesca is the new VP for the Western Region for Silverline Communications.

Fmr. Texas Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson has been installed as President of the American Law Institute.

Long time Capitol staffer Mo Jenkins is the new Texas State Director for the Human Rights Campaign.

Jen Hall is now the Executive Director of the Republican Party of Texas. Previously she was with Project Red TX.

Sam Hooper has set up his own lobby shop, Sam Hooper Legislative Affairs, LLC, and Sam Hooper Legislative Counsel PLLC for legal work. Hooper led the Institute for Justice's legislative advocacy, previously.

Texans Care for Children recently announced the hiring of three new staff members:

Lisa Ramirez is the new Director of Maternal Mental Health Policy and Family Support. She spent fourteen years at HHSC, serving as the Director of Maternal and Child Health Coordination in the agency’s Family Health Strategy unit, among other roles.

Maximiliano Rombado is the new Director of Early Learning, having previously served as the Legislative Director at Raise Your Hand Texas.

Kathy Green is the new Vice President of Policy and Advocacy. Before joining Texans Care for Children, she served as the Director of State and Federal Strategy for AARP Texas.

TPPF's Brian Phillips is now the VP of Communications for the Heritage Foundation (h/t The Quorum Report).

State Agencies

Professor James "Paul" Pope has been named Interim Dean of the LBJ School of Public Affairs. For the past 10 years Pope has been Professor of Practice, Loyd Hackler Chair for Ethical Leadership, at the LBJ School.

Kara Crawford in the new Vice Chancellor for Health Initiatives at Texas Tech University. She previously was the VP for Government Relations at UTHSC Houston.

Tanisha Rosas is the new Director of Stakeholder Relations for the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. Rosas previously has worked as a Capitol staffer for several House members.

The State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH) today announced that Chief Administrative Law Judge Kristofer Monson will retire from state service in November 2026.

Sydney De Vault started a new position as Assistant Vice President for Government & Community Affairs at The University of Texas Permian Basin. She previously was Director of Government Relations for the Texas A&M System.

Birthdays

Note: If you'd like your birthday listed and we aren't friends on FB, email me and I'll make sure it's included.

July

1-Fmr. Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, Jay Arnold, Austin Osborn, Harrison Salter

2-Ana Ramon, Darren Whitehurst, Don Garner, Birk Wilkison, Carolyn Merchant Saegert

3-Andy Cates, Dave Carney

4- Mark Wiggins

5-Nelson Jarrin, Ryan Brannon, Stephen Brown, Rep. David Cook, Kyle Jackson

6-Micah Rodriguez, Gardner Selby, Michaela Bennett, Emily Love, Dwight Boykins

7-Rep. Philip Cortez, Riley Stinnett, Reed Clay, Fmr. Rep. John Davis, Richard Armey

8-Caroline Dickerson Kunkel, Hector Gutierrez, Leslie Ward, Amanda Arriaga

9-Lindsey Linder

10-Gene Acuna, Brittney Baldovino, Rep. Paul Dyson

11- Boyd Richie

13-Rep. Sam Harless, Jonathon McClellan, Debbie Reyes, Bill Lauderback, Jason McElvaney

14-Fmr. Rep. Doug Miller, Wayne Roberts, Richard Seline, Fmr. Rep. Melissa Noriega, Andrew Fuller

15-Fmr. Rep. Celia Israel, Fmr. Rep. Bruce Gibson, Jessica Hale Allen

16-Fmr. Rep. James White, Mireya Zapata, Rusty Kelly, Bo Gilbert, Rep. Josey Garcia, MaKayla Arthur

17-Whitney Broughton

18- Rep. Suleman Lalani, Odus Evbagharu, Chris Tomlinson, Justin Berry

19-Chris Cutrone, Jody Richardson, Roger Miller

20-Ryan Marquess, Monty Exter, Debra Guilford Richmond, Jackie King, June Deadrick, Velma Cruz, Donna Nelson, Rep. Katrina Pierson

21-Sen. Bryan Hughes, Brady Vaughn, Ryan Alter, Solomon Ortiz Jr.

22-Rep. Rhetta Bowers, Rep. Gary Gates, Ben Utley, Catie Cooper, Jarrett Hill

23-Greg Macksood, Melissa Nemecek, Camille Cain

24-Jennifer Sarver, Geoff Connor, Nick Eastwood

25-Courtney Hoffman

26-Dustin Meador, Colby Nichols, Ana Correa, Jason Steele, Morgan Hendon Peruski

27-Fmr. Rep. Hugh Shine, Ashley Storm Ruleman, David Emerick, Braden Hand, Alex Meade, Lou Ann McKinney, Skyler Korgel, Kristine Donatello

28-Dinah Welsh, Barry McBee, Rep. Mihaela Plesa, Matt Garcia, Jordan Nicole Wat

29-Nick James, Mary Elen Williams, David Holmes, Julie Williams, Hans Klingler

31-Mark Ellison, Scott Hutchinson

Shout Outs

Congratulations to Annie Jamarik and Chris Lacy on their recent engagement!

Welcome home, Mitchel Taylor McCormick, baby son of Travis McCormick and Elizabeth Custy McCormick!

Congratulations to Cait and John Wittman on the birth of their daughter, Claire Margot Wittman!

Congratulations to Zach and Anna Flores, on the birth of baby Harper!



Condolences

Our condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of those who have passed recently, including:

Fmr. Rep. Betty Brown, who served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1999 to 2011.

Arlene Taylor, mother of Fmr. Sen. Larry Taylor.

Molly Jo Homer, mother of Fmr. Rep. Mark Homer.

Ronald Willis Brunson, father of Blaine Brunson.

Carey Boethel, Fmr. Lee County Judge and longtime Government Relations Director at the Texas Association of Counties.

Pamela Warren, longtime staffer with the Texas Comptroller's Office.

Carol Bush McCollum, longtime staffer in the House and Senate.

Walter Fisher; former Senate Parliamentarian, lobbyist, senior advisor to several Lt. Governors., legislative director for Gov. Greg Abbott.

For inquiries regarding sponsorship opportunities for this newsletter, please reach out to Jim Arnold at jim@arnoldpublicaffairs.com.