DSHS Organizational Chart

DSHS Description 

HHS Executive Commissioner

Office of the Commissioner

John Hellerstedt, MD, Commissioner of Public Health

Manages:

• Jennifer Sims, Deputy Commissioner
• Manda Hall, MD, Community Health Improvement Associate Commissioner
• Dave Gruber, Regional & Local Health Associate Commissioner
• Kirk Cole, Interim Consumer Protection Associate Commissioner 
• Grace Kubin, PhD, Interim 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, HHSC/DSHS General Counsel

Manages:

• Lara Lamprecht, DrPH, Assistant Deputy Commissioner
• Donna Shepard, Chief Financial Officer
• Wanda Thompson, PhD, Program Operations Associate Commissioner
• Ricky Garcia, Center for External Relations Director

Office of the Assistant Deputy Commissioner

• Lara Lamprecht, DrPH, Assistant Deputy Commissioner

Manages:

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

Center for External Relations

Ricky Garcia, Director

Manages:

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

Finance

Donna Sheppard, Chief Financial Officer

Manages:

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

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
  

HHSC Liaison

Peter Apostolakos, Information Technology Director

Community Health Improvement

Manda Hall, MD, Associate Commissioner

Manages:

• Nimisha Bhakta, Health Promotion & Chronic Disease Prevention Director
• Tara Das, PhD, State Registrar, Vital Statistics Section
• Brad Fitzwater, MD, Maternal & Child Health Medical Director
• Heidi Bojes, PhD, Environmental Epidemiology & Disease Registries Director
• Karen Ruggiero, PhD, Office of Coordination and Special Projects Director

Regional & Local Health Operations

Dave Gruber, Associate Commissioner

Manages:

• (VACANT), Regional and Local Coordination Director
• Otis Williams, Operations Business Support Manager
• Jeff Hoogheem, Health Emergency Preparedness & Response Director
• Jessica Gutierrez-Rodriguez, Texas Center for Infectious Disease Director
• RJ Dutton, PhD, Office of Border Public Health Director
• Kimberly Wolboldt, MD, Region 1 Regional Medical Director
• James Zoretic, MD, Region 2/3 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
• Kimberly Wolboldt, MD, Region 9/10 Interim Regional Medical Director
• Emilie Prot, MD, Region 11 Regional Medical Director

Consumer Protection

Kirk Cole, Interim Associate Commissioner

Manages:

• Chris Drews, Compliance Manager
• Charlotte Sullivan, Ed, Business Filing & Verification Manager
• Ron Moline, PhD, Policy, Standards & Quality Assurance Director
• James Dillon, DVM, MPH, Veterinarian, Meat Safety Assurance
• Greg Wilburn, RN, Surveillance Director
• Jane Guerrero, RN, EMS/Trauma Systems Director

Laboratory and Infectious Disease Services

Grace Kubin, PhD, Interim Associate Commissioner

Manages:

• Grace Kubin, PhD, Laboratory Director
• Felipe Rocha, MSSW, TB/HIV/STD Section Director
• Imelda Garcia, MPH, Infectious Disease Prevention Director