Joe Madden Joins Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa's Team

Joe Madden, the former chief of staff for Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, has joined Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa’s transition team. The announcement of Madden’s involvement in Hinojosa’s team came Thursday during Hinojosa’s first press briefing after defeating Texas Gov. Greg Abbott with 57% of the vote, a historic development that concluded thirty years of Republican governance in Texas.

Madden to Lead Transition Team

Madden will lead Hinojosa’s transition team as she settles into the position, serving as the team’s executive director. Over the last eight years, I’ve had the fortune of working in Harris County with Harris County governmental leaders, Madden said during the Thursday press briefing. One of the things that I specialize in is transitions and building governments that deliver on the promises that were made by these elected officials.

Background and Experience

Madden, a veteran public affairs consultant and Houston resident, held the role of Hidalgo’s chief of staff for two years starting at the inception of her term in 2019, a period when Hidalgo became the county’s first female chief executive. Prior to that, Madden worked in Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis’s office as a public policy director.

Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa announces transition team and hits and what is to come

Other Transition Team Members

Also included on Hinojosa’s transition team are Ryan Pollack, the executive director of the Texas Building Trades Council; former Republican state Rep. Ernest Bailes; and Tamala Barksdale, who previously served on the Austin Independent School District board. We have for months been meeting with experts, planning and making sure that we were prepared to govern, and here we are announcing our first leads for the transition team, Hinojosa said.