Inspector General Sylvia Hernandez Kauffman

As the Inspector General for Texas Health and Human Services, Sylvia Hernandez Kauffman leads more than 520 auditors, investigators, lawyers and professionals engaged in protecting the integrity of HHS programs. The Office of Inspector General prevents, detects and deters fraud, waste and abuse in the delivery of $43 billion in health and human services each year in Texas.

Inspector General Kauffman was appointed to this position in 2018 by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. During her leadership, the OIG has reported record recoveries, expanded the uses of sophisticated data analytics and focused on preventing fraud, waste and abuse from happening in the first place. She previously served as Principal Deputy Inspector General. As Deputy Inspector General for Data and Technology, she guided the development and oversight of the OIG's fraud analytic strategy.

Throughout her career at HHS, Inspector General Kauffman served as Special Advisor for Strategic Infrastructure, Director for the Office of e-Health Coordination, and Senior Policy Advisor for Medicaid Health Information Technology. In these roles she advised HHS leadership on technology issues, led projects to ensure timely delivery of health services, and developed policies centered on data confidentiality and client privacy. Her area of expertise is strategic management using information technology and data in government.

Prior to her service to Texas, the inspector general led the development and operation of Massachusetts’ award-winning portal, www.mass.gov. Her experience also includes the Office of Management and Budget in Washington, D.C. and ExxonMobil in Houston.

Born and raised in Brownsville, Texas, Inspector General Kauffman was the first person in her family to attend college. She earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Stanford University and a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University. She lives in South Austin with her husband David and their three children, Daniel, Natalia and Isabella.