Gov.-elect Greg Abbott gives a speech at a Texas Public Policy Foundation conference on Jan. 8, 2015.
Gov.-elect Greg Abbott gives a speech at a Texas Public Policy Foundation conference on Jan. 8, 2015. Bob Daemmrich

Gov. Greg Abbott has named a new watchdog for the embattled Texas Health and Human Services Commission.

Abbott announced Wednesday that Stuart Bowen Jr., who spent nearly 10 years as special inspector general overseeing the reconstruction of Iraq, will take over as inspector general for HHSC.

Bowen previously served as a senior adviser to George W. Bush during Bush’s governorship and presidency. He succeeds Doug Wilson, who was fired in December after a controversy arose over the selection of 21st Century Technologies Inc. to receive a $110 million Medicaid fraud software contract.

If confirmed by the Senate, Bowen will assume responsibility for overseeing the bidding process for new HHSC contracts.

The appointment is one of Abbott’s first moves as governor.

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Ryan McCrimmon was a reporting intern for The Texas Tribune in 2015. A graduate of Northwestern University, Ryan previously covered national politics and foreign affairs for the Medill News Service in...