Texas DPS CIO Talks Public Safety Technology, IT Modernization

Jessica Ballew is the chief information officer for the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), where she has worked for nearly 30 years and has served as CIO since September 2024.

Ballew has held a range of technology and administrative leadership positions at the department, including chief of innovation and data, chief of infrastructure operations and chief of administration. She began her career at the department in administrative support before moving into application development and technology leadership roles.

She holds a master’s degree in operations management from the University of Arkansas and a bachelor’s degree in communication from Arizona State University.

IITX: As CIO of your organization, how do you describe your role? How have the role and responsibilities of the CIO changed in recent years?

I see my role as a strategic enabler to align the right technology to mission need. The CIO role has evolved from being predominantly infrastructure and operations focused to being deeply embedded in strategy, policy, innovation and service.

IITX: In your tenure in this position, which project or achievement are you most proud of?

While I’m very proud of the tremendous and ongoing accomplishments by my team as they continue innovating while modernizing our environment, I think I’m even more proud of the culture we have created in the IT division; one that requires integrity, accountability, teamwork, excellence, critical thinking, innovation and a deep customer and mission understanding and focus. It’s such a good feeling to be part of a team where everyone has the same values and goals.

IITX: What projects will you be looking to fund in this budget cycle?

This cycle, we’re predominantly focused on delivering solutions to strengthen our security posture, replace end-of-life systems and mission critical applications and expand our disaster recovery capability. At the same time, we’re also working to modernize and reduce our application footprint through use of scalable platforms and leveraging AI and automation to streamline processes and improve service delivery.

IITX: DPS operates some of the state’s most mission-critical systems. How do you ensure the agency’s IT infrastructure meets the needs of both emergency responders and administrative operations without compromising security or performance?

We take a layered approach to infrastructure by balancing high availability, scalability and security. Our architecture is designed to support both real-time field operations and back-office functions without compromise. Our processes are designed to ensure compliance with all security controls, extensive quality testing, and we implement the best solutions to meet the needs of the agency.

IITX: One of your goals is to retrain DPS staff in higher-value skills such as API development and low-code tools. What has that workforce transition looked like so far, and how are you building that internal capability?

We’ve made some progress in shifting from traditional IT roles to those we predict we will need to grow over time as we continue to introduce new technology and scale shared services and platforms. We’re leveraging multiple fronts to evolve our workforce, such as project-based cross-training, providing sandbox and challenge environments and taking advantage of industry events and formal training programs.

IITX: You’ve previously mentioned plans for internal automation, especially for administrative processes. What kinds of workflows are you targeting first, and how are you measuring success?

We have several projects identified across our administrative functions at the agency, but we are also evaluating the benefits and risks of applying these capabilities to operations across the agency. We initially started with high-volume, rules-based processes in IT and are currently working on a tool for recruitment of state troopers and additional enhancements to our contact center technology, among other projects. The goal is to free up our teams for more complex and higher value work efforts while also improving service quality.

IITX: What big initiatives or projects are coming up? What sorts of developing opportunities and RFPs should we be watching for in the next six to 12 months?

Most of our major solicitations have already been processed for this biennium or are in the procurement process now. Looking at the next biennium, you should expect to see more technology stabilization efforts, including end-of-life replacements, keeping pace with cyber threats, improving data accessibility while strengthening data protection and modernizing applications and services with supportable tools that provide more advanced capabilities.

IITX: How do you define “digital transformation?” How far along is your organization in that process, and how will you know when it's finished?

Digital transformation is reimagining how we deliver services and then figuring out what technology best fits that need. Automating a bad process just results in a more expensive bad process. We focus on improving the underlying method to provide the best possible service and wrapping technology around it. This is just part of the continuous improvement loop now, so we will never cross the finish line on this one.

IITX: What do you read to stay abreast of developments in the government technology/SLED sector?

I read publications like yours, follow industry leaders on LinkedIn to learn from their posts and shared articles, and participate in CIO roundtables and working groups to stay aware of emerging trends, best practices, etc.

IITX: What do you think is the greatest technology challenge in Texas?

At this moment, the greatest challenge I see, particularly for the public sector, is the ability to keep pace with the evolution of technology, both in terms of capabilities and threats. That is closely coupled with the challenge of keeping pace with the rising costs of technology as it evolves. This situation requires leadership to really assess what is most critical, what has the greatest benefit to our constituents, and what is sustainable to effectively prioritize technology investments.

IITX: What advice would you give to someone who would like to lead an IT department?

Understand and truly care about your mission, listen to your team and your users, and build strong relationships up, down and across your organization and stakeholder groups. Technical skills are important, but the desire and ability to continue learning and the ability to communicate, influence and adapt is the formula for great leadership.

IITX: How do you prefer to be contacted by vendors, including via social media such as LinkedIn?

I am inundated daily with emails, voicemails and LinkedIn DMs from vendors. The best way to let DPS know what you offer is to reach out to our procurement team and learn how to respond to our requests for information or procurement opportunities. Make sure you are also on a [Department of Information Resources] DIR contract, because we are required to use their contract vehicles most of the time. Contacting me is likely to be a waste of your time and mine if you don’t have a DIR contract in place or we are not actively conducting market research for the specific capability you offer. P.S.: I value vendors who focus on solving problems instead of just selling products.

IITX: How might vendors best educate themselves before meeting with you?

Do your homework. Understand our agency’s mission, recent initiatives and strategic goals. Familiarize yourself with our legislative priorities. The most productive conversations are those where vendors come prepared to align their solutions with our specific needs and bring real use cases that have been proven at other agencies.

IITX: What professional or affinity groups do you belong to? Do you volunteer and would you like to share that experience with readers?

I am a member of [the Texas Association for Strategic Solutions and Collaboration in Computing] TASSCC and the International Association of Chiefs of Police [IACP]. I currently serve on the IACP Law Enforcement IT Section and Policy Council, am a Communications and Technology Committee member and chair the Artificial Intelligence Sub-Committee.

IITX: What conferences do you attend?

I plan to attend TASSCC and IACP and take advantage of multiple events hosted by public- and private-sector entities that provide opportunities to collaborate with peers while expanding my industry knowledge.

IITX: What are you reading or listening to for fun? What do you do to unplug in your downtime?

I am a mom of four, CIO for a 24x7x365 public safety agency and planning a wedding (my oldest daughter’s — not mine). What’s downtime?