AUSTIN — The 2026 Best of Texas Awards recognized Texas public-sector technology projects and individual leaders for work involving constituent services, agency operations, interagency collaboration, workplace initiatives, product management and data analytics.
Presented by Government Technology* during the Texas Digital Government Summit in Austin, the Best of Texas Awards program was established to recognize Texas state and local government and education organizations and individuals for their dedication, work and contributions in IT.
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services received the Best Application Serving the Public award for the Texas Adoption Resource Exchange. The category recognizes applications that deliver services more effectively to the public or other external stakeholders.
The Texas Workforce Commission was honored in the Best Application Serving an Agency’s Business Needs category for ChatTWC, a project from the commission’s AI Team. The award recognizes applications that help departments and agencies handle day-to-day operations.
The Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department received the Best IT Collaboration award for Team Awareness Kit. The category recognizes the use of IT across organizational boundaries to support common business processes, share data, create a knowledge-sharing culture, enhance public services or promote partnership programs.
The Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) was recognized in the Best Workforce/Workplace Initiative category for its AI Center of Enablement. The category honors programs, strategies, policies, reorganizations or technology applications that result in increased productivity, flexibility, training, recruitment, retention or general job satisfaction.
Rachael Hill, director of the Project Management Office at TRS, received the Excellence in Product Management award. The category recognizes an individual staff manager who has shown skill, responsibility and leadership in managing a technology-related initiative through phases of development, ideally from concept through deployment.
Wynne Hexamer, lead programmer for special projects in the IT Division at the Texas Department of Agriculture, was recognized in the Innovative Use of Data Analytics category. The award recognizes the use of technology and strategic methodology to analyze structured or unstructured data sources and extract meaningful results.
*The Texas Digital Government Summit is hosted by Government Technology, the sister publication of Industry Insider — Texas. Both are part of e.Republic.
Texas Agencies, Leaders Named 2026 Best of Texas Award Winners
The Best of Texas Awards highlight public-sector technology work across Texas agencies, with this year’s honorees representing child and family services, workforce services, public safety, parks and wildlife, retirement administration and agriculture.
