DSHS Organizational Chart

DSHS Description 

HHS Executive Commissioner

Office of the Commissioner

John Hellerstedt, MD, Commissioner of Public Health

Manages:

• Jennifer Sims, Deputy Commissioner
• Kirk Cole, Senior Advisor
• Manda Hall, MD, Community Health Improvement, Associate Commissioner
• David Gruber, Regional & Local Health Operations, Associate Commissioner
• Stephen Pahl, Consumer Protection, Associate Commissioner 
• Imelda Garcia, MPH, Laboratory & Infectious Disease Services, Associate Commissioner

Office of the Deputy Commissioner

Jennifer Sims, Deputy Commissioner

HHSC Liaisons

• Teresa Menchaca, HHS Internal Audit, Deputy Director
• Barbara Klein,JD, EMPL,  DSHS General Counsel

Manages:

• Kim White, Senior Policy and Strategic Advisor
• Donna Sheppard, Chief Financial Officer
• Lara Lamprecht, DrPH, Assistant Deputy Commissioner
• Wanda Thompson, PhD, Program Operations, Associate Commissioner
• Ricky Garcia, Center for External Relations, Director

Center for External Relations

Ricky Garcia, Director

Manages:

• Rachael Hendrickson, Government Affairs, Manager
• Chris Van Deusen Media Relations, Manager
• Jennifer Van Gilder, Communications, Director
• Carolyn Bivens, System Coordination & Stakeholder Relations, Director
• Mercy Bryant, PhD, Process Improvement, Manager

Office of the Assistant Deputy Commissioner

Lara Lamprecht, DrPH, Assistant Deputy Commissioner

Manages:

• Courtney Denzendorf, Office of Academic Affairs, Director
• Peter Hajmasy, Center for Health Policy and Performance, Director
• Stephen Pont, MD, Office of Science & Population Health, Medical Director
• Lisa Wyman, PhD, Center for Health Statistics, Director
• Catherine Camp, Division Office, Program Specialist

Office of Science & Population Health

Stephen Pont, MD, Medical Director

Manages:

• Linda Gaul, PhD, State Epidemiologist

Center for Health Statistics

Lisa Wyman, PhD, Director

Manages:

• Bruce Burns, PhD, THCIC, Manager
• Jeff Swanson, Health Information, Manager
• Denise Bortolussi, Library & Information Services, Manager
• Ann Barnett, Health Providers, Manager
• Jessica Cance, PhD, Agency Analytics, Manager

Finance

Donna Sheppard, Chief Financial Officer

Manages:

• Christy Havel, Federal Funds, Deputy CFO
• Leslie Aguilar, Accounting, Director
• Amanda Hudson, Budget, Director

Deputy CFO Office

Christy Havel, Deputy CFO

Manages:

• Elaine McHard, Funds Coordination, Manager

Budget Office

Amanda Hudson, Director

Manages:

• Phyllis Doherty, Community Health Improvement & Consumer Protection, Manager
• Carolyn Liverman, Regional and Local Health Operations & Laboratory Disease Services, Manager
• Blanca Tondre, Administration & Reporting, Manager

Accounting Office

Leslie Agular, Director

Manages:

• Barbara Kelly-King, Revenues, Manager
• Wayne Hill, General Ledger & Reporting, Manager
• James Curik, Claims, Manager

Program Operations

Wanda Thompson, PhD, Associate Commissioner

Manages:

• Gabe Pina, Program Support Operations, Director
• Paula Cook, Business Support & Planning, Director
• Ann Duncan, Fiscal Monitoring, Director
• Patty Melchior, Contract Management, Director
• Roger Faske, Division Office, Program Specialist
  

HHSC Liaison

Peter Apostolakos, Information Technology, Director

Program Support Operations

Gabe Pina, Program Support Operations, Director

Business Support & Planning

Paula Cook, Business Support & Planning, Director

Fiscal Monitoring

Ann Duncan, Fiscal Monitoring, Director

Manages:

• Bernabe Gamino, Fiscal Review Branch, Manager
• April Marek, HIV Grants-RW Team, Manager
• Peter Vories, Technical Assistance, Team Lead
• David Lupercio, Technical Assistance, Team Lead

Contract Management

Patty Melchior, Contract Management, Director

Manages:

• Jonah Wilczynski, Administrative, Regional & Local Health Operations, Consumer Protection Unit, Director
• Susana Garcia, Community Health Improvement, Laboratory & Infectious Disease Services Unit, Director
• Trina Edwards, Financial Support Team, Manager

Community Health Improvement

Manda Hall, MD, Associate Commissioner

Manages:

• Rachel Jew, Division Office Operations, Director
• Jeremy Triplett, Maternal & Child Health, Director
• Tara Das, PhD, State Registrar, Vital Statistics Section
• Heidi Bojes, PhD, Environmental Epidemiology & Disease Registries, Director
• Nimisha Bhakta, Health Promotion & Chronic Disease Prevention, Director
• Karen Ruggiero, PhD, Office of Coordination and Special Projects, Director

Maternal & Child Health

Jeremy Triplett, Maternal & Child Health, Director

Manages:

• Michael Spencer, Maternal & Child Health Programs, Director
• David Martinez, Newborn Screening Care Coordination, Director
• Rhonda Stokley, DDS, Oral Health and Health Screening, Dentist 
• Michelle Cook, PhD, Maternal & Child Health Epidemiology, Director

Vital Statistics Section

Tara Das, PhD, State Registrar

Manages:

• Chris Guerrero, Administration, Project Manager
• Tarik Brown, Reporting & Registration Branch, Manager
• Kathie Martinez, Amendments & Issuance Branch, Manager
• Vacant, Analytics & Analysis, Data Analyst

Environmental Epidemiology & Disease Registries

Heidi Bojes, PhD, Director

Manages:

• Mark Canfield, Birth Defects Epidemiology & Surveillance, Manager
• Melanie Williams, Cancer Epidemiology & Surveillance, Manager
• Emily Hall, Environmental Epidemiology Toxicology, Manager
• Jennifer Karnik-Fox, Blood Lead Surveillance Branch, Manager

Health Promotion & Chronic Disease Prevention

Nimisha Bhakta, Director

Manages:

• Jessica Hyde, Chronic Disease Prevention, Manager
• Clay Scallan, Tobacco Prevention & Control, Manager
• Maria Cooper, Ph.D., Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Manager
• Vacant, Diabetes Prevention & Control, Manager
• Brett Spencer, Community Health & Wellness, Manager

Office of Coordination & Special Projects

Karen Ruggiero, PhD, Director 

Regional & Local Health Operations

David Gruber, Associate Commissioner

Manages:

• Nancy Ejuma, PhD, Deputy Associate Commissioner 
• Jessica Gutierrez-Rodriguez, Texas Center for Infectious Disease, Director
• RJ Dutton, PhD, Office of Border Public Health, Director
• Jeff Hoogheem, Center for Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (CHEPR), Director
• Vacant, Region 1, Regional Medical Director
• Sharon Huff, MD, Region 2/3, Interim Regional Medical Director
• Sharon Huff, MD, Region 4/5, Regional Medical Director
• Carlos Plasencia, MD, Region 6/5, Regional Medical Director
• Sharon Melville, MD, Region 7, Regional Medical Director
• Lillian Ringsdorf, MD, Region 8, Regional Medical Director
• Emilie Prot, MD, Region 9/10, Interim Regional Medical Director
• Emilie Prot, MD, Region 11, Regional Medical Director

Center for Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (CHEPR)

Jeff Hoogheem, Center for Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (CHEPR), Director

Manages:

• Michelle Petraitis, Response & Recovery, Director
• Lisette Osborne, Preparedness, Manager 

Consumer Protection

Stephen Pahl, Associate Commissioner

Manages:

• Luis Morales, Deputy Associate Commissioner
• Vacant, Division Office, Manager
• Jane Guerrero, RN, EMS/Trauma Systems, Director
• Charlotte Sullivan, Ed, Business Filing & Verification, Manager
• James Dillon, DVM, MPH, Veterinarian, Meat Safety Assurance
• Greg Wilburn, RN, Surveillance, Director
• Chris Drews, Compliance Manager
• Rod Moline, PhD, Policy, Standards & Quality Assurance, Director

EMS/Trauma Systems

Jane Guerrero, RN, Director

Manages:

• Elizabeth Stevenson, EMS Trauma Systems, Manager
• Four Geographical EMS Compliance Units

Business Filing & Verification

Charlotte Sullivan, Ed, Manager

Manages:

• Liane El-Sheikh, Drugs & Food Safety Licensing, Manager
• Rosemary Saldiva, Food Licensing, Manager
• Janet Leubner, Environmental & Sanitation Licensing, Manager
• Jo Turkette, Radiation Machine Source, Manager
• Janet Leubner, Operations & Records, Manager
• Karl Von Ahn, Radioactive Material, Manager
• Emily Hyde, EMS Certification and Licensing, Manager

Meat Safety Assurance4

James Dillon, DVM, MPH, Director

Manages:

• Timothy Stevenson, DVM, PhD, Twelve Geographical Units Assistant State Director

Surveillance

Greg Wilburn, RN, Director

Manages:

• Ken Ofunrein, Environmental, Manager
• Lori Woznicki, Food & Drug, Manager
• Lisa Bruedigan, Radiation, Manager

Compliance

Chris Drews, Manager

Manages:

• Larry Raper, Environmental Health, Manager
• Ademola Olufemi, Consumer Safety, Manager

Policy, Standards, & Quality Assurance

Rod Moline, PhD, Director

Manages:

• Joe Williams, Public Sanitation & Retail Food Safety
• Annabelle Dillard, Environmental Hazards, Manager
• Brian Vamvakias, Radiation, Manager
• Kirk Wiles, Seafood & Aquatic Life, Manager
• Sofia Stifflemire, Milk & Dairy, Manager
• Lewis Ressler, Foods, Manager
• Brandon Rudloff, Meat, Manager
• Megan Snyder, Drugs & Medical Devices, Manager

Laboratory and Infectious Disease Services

Imelda Garcia, MPH, Associate Commissioner

Manages:

• Jennifer A. Shuford, MD, MPH, Infectious Disease Medical Officer
• Monica Gamez, Deputy Associate Commissioner
• Vacant, Manager, National Electronic Disease Surveillance Systems Group
• Grace Kubin, PhD, Laboratory Services, Director
• Felipe Rocha, MSSW, TB/HIV/STD Section, Director
• Monica Gamez, Infectious Disease Prevention, Interim Director 
• Felipe Rocha, MSSW, TB/HIV/STD Section, Director
• Jodie Vanyo, MGPS, Senior Advisor
• Cynthia Marquez, Executive Assistant
  

Laboratory Services Section

Grace Kubin, PhD, Director

Manages:

• Susan Tanksley, PhD, Laboratory Operations Unit, Director
• Kathleen Street, Laboratory Resources Groups, Manager
• Lisa Hutson, Quality Assurance Unit, Director
• Aurora Martinez, South Texas Laboratory, Manager

Infectious Disease Prevention Section

Monica Gamez, Interim Director

Manages:

• Tony Aragon, MS, Immunization Unit, Director
• Vacant, Infectious Disease Control Unit, Director 

TB/HIV/STD Section

Felipe Rocha, MSSW, Director

Manages:

• Greg Beets, MA, Health Communications & Community Engagement Group, Manager
• James Abshier, MBA, Pharmacy Branch, Manager
• Shelly Lucas, MPH, HIV/STD Prevention & Care, Manager
• Sandra Morris, MPH, TB Hansen’s Services Branch, Manager
• Vacant, Epidemiology & Surveillance Branch, Manager