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Industry Insider — Texas will not be sending a morning newsletter on Monday, Jan. 19, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The next newsletter will hit your inbox on Wednesday, Jan. 21.
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What to Know:
- Stephanie Muth will become executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) on Jan. 3, succeeding Cecile Erwin Young.
- Muth previously led the Department of Family and Protective Services and held multiple senior positions at HHSC.
What to Know:
- The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) has launched a new, fully digitized licensing system to make it easier to apply for, renew and update licenses.
- The agency says the system adds online applications, dashboard renewals, real-time updates and status tracking with notifications.
- The new system was built internally, allowing TDA to tailor the platform to agency needs while saving taxpayer dollars.
What to Know:
- Midland will deploy AI-enabled surveillance technology at city parks to enhance public safety.
- The $412,956 investment is part of a pilot program using artificial intelligence to detect weapons and fights.
- Installations will begin at parks like Beal and Reyes-Mashburn-Nelms, with completion expected by spring 2026.
Jeffrey Stovall, who served as CIO for Charlotte, N.C., for more than 10 years, will head up Dallas IT operations starting in January. The longtime technologist has said he places a high value on cyber infrastructure.
What to Know:
- A bipartisan group of 16 Texas senators is urging Congress to reject a federal moratorium on state AI laws.
- The Trump administration is seeking to block state-level AI regulations through the NDAA or executive action.
- Lawmakers warn the move would undermine Texas' new AI law, TRAIGA, and violate states’ rights.
What to Know:
- Frisco’s CodeRED alert system has been taken offline following a cyber attack that exposed user data.
- City officials are advising residents to change reused passwords immediately, as the compromised data may impact other personal or business accounts.
- The breach is part of a wider cybersecurity event impacting jurisdictions nationwide.
What to Know:
- DIR has opened a competitive solicitation to refresh or expand its vendor pool for end-user IT outsourcing services.
- Vendors may offer services including desktop support, asset management, hosted virtual desktops and emerging tech like AI and cloud solutions.
- Selected vendors will enter Master Cooperative Contracts and serve a wide range of public-sector customers across Texas.
What to Know:
- Grand Prairie was recognized in the 2025 Digital Cities Survey for expanding its use of cloud services, artificial intelligence and open data to support transparency and public safety.
- The city now runs 70 percent of IT systems in the cloud and uses generative AI for internal tasks such as document creation and research.
- Recent public safety and engagement upgrades include AI-enabled drone response, GIS dashboards for first responders and a new open data portal for residents.
What to Know:
- Texas received federal approval for its $1.27 billion BEAD plan, selecting 22 providers to deliver broadband service to more than 240,000 unserved and underserved locations statewide.
- A state-funded match program awarded $177 million to help smaller providers meet federal cost-sharing requirements without reducing project scope.
- Projects were selected through a competitive process emphasizing speed, scalability and cost-efficiency.
What to Know:
- Frisco earned seventh place in its population category in the 2025 Digital Cities Survey for its expanding use of artificial intelligence and resident-centered digital services.
- The city piloted generative AI tools, including ChatGPT, to summarize meetings and generate internal briefings, informing a broader AI strategy.
- Transparency and accessibility initiatives included launching a Capital Improvement Projects Dashboard, revamping the open data portal and modernizing digital platforms for public engagement.
What to Know:
- TPWD’s new internal AI policy outlines rules for the responsible use of generative AI tools by agency staff.
- All AI tools must be approved by the IT Division, with strict limits on high-risk use cases.
- The policy emphasizes training, data privacy and human oversight in AI-assisted decision-making.
Industry Insider — Texas will not publish a newsletter Friday in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. The newsletter will resume Monday morning. The Industry Insider staff wishes our friends and readers a safe and meaningful holiday celebration.
What to Know:
- Texas has secured a statewide MS-ISAC membership through November 2026.
- The federal government ended funding for MS-ISAC in late 2025, citing redundancy with other federal programs and shifting cybersecurity priorities.
- Texas members will continue to receive threat intelligence, incident response support and domain-blocking tools.
What to Know:
- Austin earned seventh place in the national Digital Cities Survey, reflecting progress in digital equity, AI governance and modernized service delivery.
- The city launched an All Services Hub that consolidates department websites and streamlines access to services.
- Internal improvements included deploying a new security platform and piloting AI tools for service delivery and staff productivity.
What to Know:
- Shannon Lawson has been named chief information security officer for the city of San Antonio and director of the Alamo Regional Security Operations Center.
- He most recently served as CISO at Redapt and was previously assistant CIO and CISO for the city of Phoenix.
- Lawson’s background includes leadership roles with the state of Alaska, NAVWAR, the U.S. Navy and NSA.
What to Know:
- Vince Kellen will lead IT strategy as CIO for the Texas A&M University System starting Dec. 1.
- He was previously CIO at the University of California, San Diego, overseeing AI and research tech modernization.
- Kellen holds a doctorate in computer science with a focus on human-computer interaction.
Commission on State Emergency Communications Director of IT Grace Ruwwe and public-sector IT leaders from various agencies were recognized for their contributions to the state’s public service.
What to Know:
- A panel at the Texas IT Leadership Forum emphasized that successful vendor relationships depend on collaboration, not commodity-style transactions.
- Brownsville CIO Jorge Cardenas and state courts CIO Casey Kennedy highlighted key differences in how cities and state agencies manage procurement, especially around pricing flexibility and vendor capacity.
- Speakers urged vendors to invest in long-term partnerships through effective communication.
What to Know:
- Angelo State University (ASU) is procuring a vendor to design, develop and implement a cybersecurity data dashboard for its Regional Security Operations Center.
- Student collaboration is a core requirement of the solicitation.
- The solution must integrate with ASU’s Microsoft environment and tools like ServiceNow, CrowdStrike and Okta, and comply with security standards including NIST and FedRAMP.
What to Know:
- San Antonio has removed race- and gender-based subcontracting goals from its municipal contracting program to comply with federal grant requirements.
- The change eliminates a rule that previously required up to 40 percent of work be subcontracted to minority- and woman-owned businesses, a provision once considered key to promoting equity in city contracting.
- While the SBEDA program still supports small and local businesses, all race- and gender-specific contracting goals have been suspended.
What to Know:
- The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services is hiring a director of IT initiatives to lead a major case management system modernization and oversee strategic IT efforts.
- The role reports to the deputy CIO and involves cross-agency coordination, vendor management, IT compliance and legislative engagement.
- The director will guide the development of new systems that support child welfare programs and ensure alignment with state and federal requirements.
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