Political People and their Moves

Kay Ghahremani, deputy director of Texas' Medicaid and CHIP programs, has been named director — succeeding Billy Millwee.

Gov. Rick Perry tapped Texas Railroad Commissioner David Porter as the state's official representative to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. 

Perry also appointed Martin Broussard of Beaumont and Ray Callas of Beaumont to the Jefferson and Orange County Board of Pilot Commissioners.

The governor appointed Nathan "Jim" Bell IV of Paris, Monty Johnson III of Amarillo, and Billy "Mayfield" McCraw II of Telephone to the Red River Authority of Texas Board of Directors. Bell is owner or Nathan Bell Realtors. Johnson is a rancher. McCraw is owner of Hope Plantation Turf and McCraw Materials.

The governor tapped Glenn Martin of Edna, president of M.O.R., Inc., for a spot on the Lavaca-Navidad River Authority Board of Directors. 

House Speaker Joe Straus named a late interim committee to look at the $4.9 billion in dedicated general revenue accounts that are used to balance the budget rather than for the specific programs for which that money was set aside. Reps. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, and John Otto, R-Dayton, will co-chair the panel.

After nearly four years as a legislative liaison at the state's Department of Transportation, Wendy Reilly is joining TechAmerica as director of state government affairs for the southern region — a job Jeff Clark held until he joined the Wind Coalition. 

Democrat John Courage picked up an endorsement from the San Antonio Express-News in his SD-25 race against Republican Donna Campbell.

Nancy Dickey resigned as president of the Texas A&M Health Science Center and vice chancellor for health affairs at the A&M University System, where she's been for the last 11 years. E.J. "Jere" Pederson, the former COO of the UT Medical Branch in Galveston, will come in as acting head while a search takes place.