Longtime State IT Exec Moves into Associate Deputy CIO Role

A longtime state IT professional has been promoted to associate deputy CIO for day-to-day operations within the Texas Health and Human Services agency (HHS).

Larry Lusk had most recently served as director of social services applications for HHS before being promoted to associate deputy CIO. He told Industry Insider — Texas that he has specific goals for his new role.
“In the short term, my goal is to get to know the needs of a broader array of business partners within HHS,” Lusk said via email. “In addition, I am getting to know the teams that report to me directly within the Day-to-Day Operations area.”

“Long term,” he added, “I will support PJ Fritsche, the deputy CIO for day-to-day operations, as our teams implement innovative technology solutions that enable HHS to deliver services to Texans.”

Also in the works, Lusk said, is the implementation of technologies like the cloud, robotic process automation, AI, machine learning and other advanced technologies to accelerate the delivery of services to the citizens of Texas.

Before taking on the new role, Lusk primarily focused on developing, maintaining and modernizing integrated eligibility systems as director of social services applications for the HHS.

These systems, he explained, assist case workers across Texas with eligibility determination of federal and state benefits, including Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Healthy Texas Women.

Before that, Lusk worked with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts from 2011-2018 as a chief platform engineer and distributed services section manager and also worked with IBM as a system security manager.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in business information systems and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Phoenix, and is based in Coupland, Texas.