Staff

Shannon Porterfield
Team Leader

Robert E. "Bobby" Aziz, Jr.

Academic Background: Bachelor of Business Administration from St. Edward's University, with a concentration in finance.

Areas of Expertise: Electronic commerce, government and technology research, Uniform State Payroll System, systems analysis and software testing

Key Projects: Uniform Statewide Payroll System

A key member of the Comptroller's technical staff, Bobby Aziz has managed the conversion of several state agency payroll/personnel systems to the Uniform State Payroll System (USPS); he also assisted in the implementation of quality assurance software for USPS and served as a software analyst and tester. Aziz has worked with local governments to improve their business processes and their management of technology resources through the Comptroller's Financial Management Review process.

Before joining the Comptroller's office, Aziz was an assistant operations manager for a retail business responsible for cash management, inventory control, revenue forecasting and accounts payable.

Susan Biles

Academic Background: Bachelor of Arts with Honors, Plan II Honors Program with a concentration in government, University of Texas at Austin; Master of Public Policy, Duke University.

Areas of Expertise: business process reengineering, immigration

Before joining the Comptroller's office in spring 2000, Susan Biles worked for Andersen Consulting, specializing in business process reengineering. Her other previous employers include the US Commission on Immigration Reform and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

David M. Dennis

See Workforce.

Mary Cheryl Dorwart

Academic Background : Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, New Mexico State University.

Areas of Expertise : Reengineering, procurement, outsourcing

Mary Cheryl Dorwart has 15 years of experience with the Comptroller's office. She has served as the agency's Information Resource manager, working closely with the state's Director of Information Resources and founded and chaired the agency's Technology Task Force, which set many agency technology policies. In 1991, she became manager of Data Services, where she implemented significant improvements to the information technology acquisition and asset management processes that are credited with generating savings and cost avoidances of more than $18 million over a five-year period. Dorwart also served as acquisition manager for the outsourcing and conversion of Treasury applications when that agency was merged into the Comptroller's office. She also participated in negotiations with the Texas Legislative Council for information technology consulting services.

Dorwart has led business process reviews of the agency's fixed asset and hiring processes and was a member of the Comptroller's internal contract management reengineering team. She served on the Texas Council on Competitive Government's Data Center Consolidation Project and collaborated in the development of the consolidation initiative.

Jean Gilbert

Academic Background: Bachelor of Arts in History, the University of Texas at Austin.

Areas of Expertise: Information and library science

Key Projects: Forces of Change

Jean Gilbert has 11 years of experience as librarian for the Comptroller's Research & Policy Development Division. As librarian, Jean serves as an information specialist, gathering data for analysts from a variety of sources, including other libraries, on-line databases and the Internet. Gilbert is responsible for purchasing books and periodicals and keeping several sets of law books updated. She also serves as researcher on special projects and provides assistance to various groups within Research. Gilbert performed all of the research and interviews connected with the cultural resources section of the Comptroller's report Forces of Change.

Joe Latteo

Academic Background: Undergraduate study in computer science, University of Houston.

Areas of Expertise: Computer systems analysis, design and implementation

Joe Latteo has more than 20 years of experience in computer systems for private industry and state government. Throughout his career, Latteo has managed and developed technical implementations for retail firms, manufacturers and state government. Presently, he is manager of the web development team in the Comptroller's Information Technology Division and is providing technical consulting and solutions for web-based initiatives within the agency. Before assuming this position, Latteo was technical support manager for the Integrated Tax Systems project, an internal CPA initiative to combine disparate tax system databases and provide a consistent graphical user interface for handling tax information.

Before joining the Comptroller's office, Latteo was a technical project manager for W.R. Grace Company, responsible for project management of automated information systems.

Mark Ortosky

Academic Background: Associate Degrees in Data Processing and Arts and Sciences, Ft. Steilacoom College, Tacoma, Washington; additional college hours from Gavilon College and Monterey Peninsula College, California; Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland, Ohio; and the University of Texas at Austin. Graduate of the University of Texas Software Project Management Certificate Program for Software Project Managers.

Areas of Expertise: Information technology and management

Mark Ortosky has 17 years of experience in a wide variety of information technology positions including application development and maintenance, database administration, data management, data warehousing, technical support, technical consulting, system programming, telecommunications, standards development, tactical and strategic planning, software product and tools evaluation, technical training, and contract management. Ortosky has served on numerous agency committees dealing with all aspects of technical and management issues; performed peer reviews; assisted other state agencies with the procurement of new technologies; and given presentations at various technical conferences.

Shannon Porterfield (Team Leader)

Academic Background: Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting, Southwest Texas State University.

Areas of Expertise: state government information technology, government system implementation, project management, reengineering, budget and accounting

Key Projects: Texas Performance Reviews; merger of the Treasury and Comptroller's office.

Shannon Porterfield has more than 16 years of experience in state government operations, including management of information systems projects and agency performance reviews. Porterfield was project leader for the successful merger of the Treasury with Comptroller's office, and more recently served as the statewide Year 2000 project director for the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR).

Prior to her role at DIR, Porterfield worked with the Comptroller's Texas Performance Review Division. She specialized in state agency internal operations and information systems, and developed recommendations to improve their efficiency and effectiveness.

Porterfield has management experience in four state agencies and has guided the functional development, implementation, and maintenance of governmental financial information systems in three of those agencies. She has analyzed and written legislation, testified before the Legislature, and made numerous presentations to boards and the public.

Ginger Salone

Academic Background: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, East Texas State University.

Areas of Expertise: Telecommunications and computer systems

Ginger Salone joined the Comptroller's office as a telecommunications systems programmer in August 1986, and progressed through the ranks as supervisor of the Telecommunications Support group, area manager of Systems Programming and division manager of Computer Services Division. Salone served in the last role for five years, managing the agency's mainframe data center, systems programmers, computer operations, and network support, as well as application programmers not included in projects overseen by Systems Development. In June 1997, she became director of Systems Development and assumed responsibility for the support and development of the Integrated Tax System, the Statewide Financial System, and the Integrated Statewide Administrative Services project. The agency's technology divisions were reorganized in 1999, and presently Salone is assistant manager of the Information Technology Division.

Salone has served as the Comptroller's representative on the state's Year 2000 Steering Committee, Telecommunications Planning Group and E-Government Task Force. She is a director of the Texas Association for State Systems of Computing and Communications, an organization formed to encourage communication and coordination of state government information technology professionals and strategic planners.

Before joining the Comptroller's office, Salone worked as a systems analyst for Sperry Corporation, where her functions included installing and supporting mainframe operating systems and software products as well as applications development projects.

Jena Thomas

See Human Resources Management Team.

Barbara Truesdale

Academic Background: Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Abilene Christian University; two years of coursework at the University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs. Truesdale is certified as a software project manager through the University of Texas Software Quality Institute.

Areas of Expertise: Administration, management, and Internet issues

Key Projects: Texas Performance Reviews

Barbara Truesdale has worked on a wide variety of projects, including the agency's Idea Fair, the Renaissance program, agency job standards and career ladders, and the automation of property tax records and the agency rules process. In addition, Truesdale contributed to two major TPR reviews.

Jeff Van Pelt

See Education Team .