Texas names chief AI and innovation officer as interim CIO

Ben Gatzke, the governing board chair of the Texas Department of Information Resources, on Wednesday announced that Tony Sauerhoff, the state’s first chief artificial intelligence and innovation officer, has been tapped to serve as the state’s interim chief information officer and the agency’s executive director.

Sauerhoff takes over following the departure of Amanda Crawford, the agency’s former CIO and executive director who, after nearly seven years in the role, was last week appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to head the state’s Department of Insurance.

Prior to being named as the state’s chief AI and innovation officer in October, Sauerhoff served for one year as the state’s chief information security officer, where he helped establish a portal for local government agencies to report cybersecurity incidents. He has more than 30 years of experience in information technology and cybersecurity across the public and private sectors, including cybersecurity roles at the U.S. Courts and the Marine Corps Reserve.

In his role as chief AI and innovation officer, Sauerhoff led statewide efforts to adopt AI and other emerging technologies. He serves as president of the board of directors for GovRAMP, a nonprofit previously known as StateRAMP that develops security standards for cloud computing providers.

According to the state’s announcement, the technology department’s board of directors will search for a permanent executive director.

The Department of Information Resources also announced Wednesday that the Texas Workforce Commission had named DIR’s deputy executive director and deputy CIO, Steve Pier, as its newest executive director, leaving the position vacant. The announcement said both Crawford and Pier are slated start their new positions in the first week of February.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, we are deeply grateful for the exceptional leadership and steadfast service that Mandy and Steve provided to the agency,” Gatzke, the governing board chair, said in a news release. “While we are saddened by their departure, we have full confidence in Tony’s leadership, technical expertise, and ability to guide the agency through this transition.”