On September 25, Texas Banking Commissioner Charles G. Cooper announced the appointment of Jesse H. Garcia Jr. as the chief information officer at the Texas Department of Banking, effective October 1. He will be responsible for the daily operations and future technological advancement plans of the department’s information technology division.

Garcia brings to the department more than 25 years of experience in state government, specifically in the areas of network management and technology and information security. He spent the previous 19 years with the Texas Railroad Commission, first as a network specialist and later as an information security analyst. Prior to joining the Texas Railroad Commission, Garcia served with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for three years as network manager.

A 1994 graduate of the University of Texas–Austin, where he majored in studio art/photography, Garcia holds the industry accreditations of certified cloud security professional and certified information systems security professional. In 2021, he attended the Executive Leadership for Information Technology Excellence program, which is offered by the LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas and Texas Department of Information Resources.

“I am confident that Mr. Garcia’s information technology and security expertise will give the department the ability to continue to improve our technology transformation strategy and create operational advances and efficiencies,” Cooper says.