AUSTIN – Executive Commissioner Charles Smith today announced key additions to the Health and Human Services leadership team who will help guide the Health and Human Services Commission through its transformation into a more efficient and responsive agency.
“I am proud of these men and women who have offered up their tremendous talents to serve Texans,” Commissioner Smith said. “We are going to make the changes needed to create the best Health and Human Services agency in the nation. Our transformation will ensure that HHS is more functional and effective for our clients, stakeholders and taxpayers.”
The HHS system is in the process of consolidating from five agencies to three, with the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services, the Department of Aging and Disability Services and HHSC merging into one agency. The transformation also includes moving selected programs from the Department of State Health Services and the Department of Family and Protective Services to the new transformed agency.
HHSC, DARS and most DADS programs will merge Sept. 1. DADS facilities such as state supported living centers and DSHS state hospitals will consolidate Sept. 1, 2017, along with some programs from DFPS.
Leadership positions announced by Executive Commissioner Smith:
- Enrique Marquez, Director of External Relations
- Karin Hill, Director of Internal Audit
- Chris Adams, Deputy Executive Commissioner for System Support Services
- David Kostroun, Deputy Executive Commissioner for Policy and Performance
- Bryan Black, Director of Communications
Enrique Marquez has served as the director of communications for HHSC for the past year. Before joining HHSC, he served as the director of communications for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Texas Association of Business. He managed Rep. Dan Branch’s 2014 campaign for attorney general and was a senior adviser to then-Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, deputy campaign manager for Dewhurst’s 2012 U.S. Senate race and press secretary for Speaker Joe Straus. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin.
Karin Hill has served as the internal audit director for DARS since 2012. A United States Air Force veteran, she was the chief internal auditor for the Texas Juvenile Justice Department and a staff auditor for the Texas Commission for the Blind. Hill is a member of the Institute of Internal Auditor’s Committee of Research and Education Advisors, and the State Agency Internal Audit Forum. She has an MBA from Southwest Texas State University, a bachelor’s degree in management and accounting from Park College and an associate’s degree in financial management from the Community College of the Air Force.
Chris Adams has worked at the Texas Water Development Board, Office of the Attorney General and Texas Commission for the Blind. He currently serves as the human resources director for the HHS system. He has an extensive background in policy development and implementation, support services and personnel management. Adams has guided projects designed to streamline business operations and increase operational efficiency during his tenure with several state agencies. He is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and the Governor’s Executive Development Program.
David Kostroun comes to HHSC from the Texas Department of Agriculture where he is the chief administrator for licensing and regulatory. His tenure at the Department of Agriculture has spanned 21 years. He has served in a variety of capacities including the assistant commissioner for regulatory programs and the chief administrator for agriculture and consumer protection division. His experience includes leading diverse teams and overseeing agency functions such as rule making, strategic planning, development and attainment of performance measures, policy development, regulation implementation, laboratory testing, inspection compliance and certification, training, logistics, data analytics, and licensing. David received a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science from Texas A&M University.
Bryan Black joined HHSC as the chief press officer in 2015. He managed media relations and was the agency spokesperson. Before joining HHSC, Black was director of communications at the Texas Department of Agriculture. Black’s background includes a decade in broadcast journalism. As an anchor and reporter, he worked for network news affiliates, including NBC, CBS and ABC stations. He specialized in investigative and political reporting. Black has won multiple Emmy Awards and was named California Reporter of the Year by the Associated Press Television Radio Association. Black graduated from California State University, Fullerton with a degree in Communications.