Political People and their Moves

Keith Ingram is the new elections chief at the Texas Secretary of State's office, replacing Ann McGeehan, who left in December after 16 years in that post. Ingram was most recently a manager in the governor's appointments office; before that he was a general business lawyer in private practice.

Gov. Rick Perry is back, making appointments:

John B. Walker of Houston to the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents. Walker is president and CEO of EnerVest Ltd.

Joe Edd Boaz of Anson as district attorney of the 259th Judicial District Court in Jones and Shackelford counties. Boaz is an attorney in private practice, a former Jones County attorney and the chief of trial teams for the El Paso County District Attorney’s Office.

Sheri Krause of Austin chairwoman of the Texas Historical Commission and Robert “Bob” Shepard of Weatherford to the commission. Krause is managing partner of JBS Holdings and the former development director for the Settlement Home for Children. Shepard is a rancher, retired American Airlines pilot and former air traffic controller.

• Three members to the Texas Medical Board, including Carlos Gallardo of Frisco, a senior manager of recruiting at DynCorp International in Fort Worth; William “Roy” Smythe of Belton, chairman of surgery and medical director for Scott and White Healthcare’s Office of Innovation and a professor and chair of surgery at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine; and Paulette Southard of Alice, a retired teacher and community volunteer.

• Three members to the State Committee of Examiners in the Fitting and Dispensing of Hearing Instruments, including William McCrae of San Antonio, president and owner of Beltone Audiology and Hearing Aids; Jesus “Jesse” Rangel Jr. of Longview, owner of Beltone Hearing Aid Center and a licensed hearing aid dealer; and Barbara Willy of Sugar Land, former senior manager of operational excellence for Siemens Hearing Instruments North America Headquarters in New Jersey.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst appointed four members of the Texas Senate to the Medicaid Reform Waiver Legislative Oversight Committee: Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound; Sen. Bob Deuell, R-Greenville; Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston; and Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas.

Speaker Joe Straus announced additional House appointments to the Joint Interim Committee to Study Human Trafficking: Reps. Sergio Muñoz, Jr., D-Mission, and Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball.

Jason Gibson, president of the Houston Trial Lawyers Association, is staffing up for his bid for the Texas Democratic U.S. Senate nomination. Ed Espinoza, a former western states political director at the Democratic National Committee, has signed on as general consultant and campaign manager. Kirsten Gray, the press director at the Texas Democratic Party for the past two election cycles, will serve as communications director. Houston-based strategist Keir Murray, who’s worked on campaigns for former Rep. Nick Lampson and a couple of Houston mayors, is political director. Jason Stanford, who managed former Rep. Chris Bell’s 2006 gubernatorial campaign, is the chief research consultant.

Deaths: Former Rep. Al Price, D-Beaumont, a civil rights activist and airline pilot whose addresses on the floor of the House used to regularly include the word "shan't" and often started with the phrase, "Members, I reluctantly rise…" He was 81.

Bill Hollowell, D-Grand Saline, a 14-term state representative and one-time speaker pro tempore of the House. He was 83.