Governor Abbott Announces Inspector General & Other Key Appointments

Governor Abbott Announces Key Inspector General Appointment 

Today, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced the appointment of Stuart W. Bowen, Jr., as Inspector General for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission for a term to expire Feb. 1, 2016. The inspector general works to prevent, detect and investigate fraud, abuse and waste in state health and human services programs.

Bowen previously served for nearly ten years as the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR), leading the federal agency charged with overseeing $62 billion in US tax dollars appropriated for Iraq’s reconstruction.  Reporting to the Secretaries of Defense and State, Bowen secured nearly $2 billion in taxpayer benefits, obtained over 90 convictions, produced over 500 reports, and traveled to Iraq 35 times.          

Prior to his tenure as the SIGIR, Bowen served President George W. Bush as Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Staff Secretary and Special Assistant to the President and Associate Counsel. His public service career also includes appointments as Deputy Counsel to Governor Bush, as Assistant Attorney General of Texas, and as Briefing Attorney to Texas Supreme Court Justice Raul Gonzalez. Bowen served four years on active duty as a United States Air Force intelligence officer, earning the Air Force Commendation medal, and he was honorably discharged as a Captain.

Bowen currently serves as a Senior Advisor on Iraq to both the United States Chamber of Commerce and the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.  He received his Bachelor’s Degree from The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, and his law degree from St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio.

Formal Appointments To Texas Senate

Texas Governor Greg Abbott today formally submitted three appointments to the Texas Senate. Governor Abbott intends to appoint Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos as Texas Secretary of State, Jerry Strickland as Executive Director of the Office of State-Federal Relations and reappoint David Mattax as Commissioner of the Texas Department of Insurance.

Biographies:

Judge Carlos Cascos, Secretary of State – Carlos Cascos is the current Cameron County Judge, a position he was elected to in 2006. Judge Cascos is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Government Financial Manager, and a Diplomat of the American Board of Forensic Accounting. Prior to becoming Cameron County’s top elected official, Judge Cascos was a member of the Texas Public Safety Commission, which oversees the Texas Department of Public Safety, a Cameron County Commissioner for 12 years, and was actively involved in many civic organizations. Born in Matamoros, Mexico, Judge Cascos became a permanent resident of the United States and then a citizen when he was an adolescent.

Jerry Strickland, Executive Director of the Office of State-Federal Relations – Jerry Strickland formerly served as Director of Communications for the Office of the Attorney General Greg Abbott, and has served as spokesman and advisor for Governor Abbott since 2003. Previously, Strickland was a reporter and anchor for CBS and ABC news affiliates in Texas and other states.  Strickland is a graduate of the University of Mississippi.

David Mattax, Commissioner of the Texas Department of Insurance – David Mattax was appointed as Commissioner of the Texas Department of Insurance by Gov. Rick Perry earlier this month for a term ending Feb. 1, 2015. Mattax previously served as deputy attorney general for defense litigation, past director of defense litigation, and past chief of the financial litigation division for the Texas Attorney General’s Office. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas and is admitted to practice before the Texas Federal District courts, Fourth and Fifth Circuit U.S. courts of Appeal and U.S. Supreme Court. He is past co-chair of the Amos Commission, and a past board of trustees member of University United Methodist Church.  Mattax received two bachelor’s degrees and a law degree from The University of Texas at Austin.

All of the above appointments are subject to Senate confirmation.