By Allan Jamail
Houston, TX. – July 28, 2020 – Harris County’s Clerk’s office has promoted Teneshia Hudspeth to Chief Deputy. Hudspeth became the first African American to this position.
Harris County’s elected Clerk Diane Trautman resigned May 31st due to her health concerns. Months before Trautman resigned, in January 2019 she appointed Hudspeth as her 2nd in command. Trautman in a telephone interview with North Channel Star writer Allan Jamail said she promoted Hudspeth because she was “exceptionally qualified to run the Clerk’s office in my absence should the need arise.”
Harris County is the third largest county in the nation; this gives Hudspeth the responsibility of administering all the duties of County Clerk’s office. Such as: supervising the Administrators of all departments and locations of Commissioners Court, Elections, County Civil Courts, Probate Courts, Personal Records, Real Property, Information/ Records Archives, and Annex Offices in operational planning, human resources, financial, advocacy, community relations and risk management.
Hudspeth a 15-year member of the Harris County Clerk’s Office, served under three Administrations, she has held a variety of positions that have provided the extensive knowledge necessary to serve the public well, including Administrative Aide of Public Affairs, Special Projects Coordinator, Voter Outreach Coordinator, Public Information Officer, and Administrator of Communications & Voter Outreach.
Most of Hudspeth’s work while in the Clerk’s Office focused on providing registered voters the information, materials and assistance needed to access the voting process. In the community, she’s provided leadership and information on voter registration and voter turnout in Harris County, the City of Houston, and the State of Texas, and manages the African American Elections Advisory Committee for the County.
Hudspeth said she’s currently seeking to be on the November 3rd, 2020 ballot as the Harris County Democratic Party’s candidate to fill the vacant County Clerk’s position. She is married to Samson Babalola and together they have a three-year-old son Josiah.
Harris County’s Commissioners Court voted on June 1st to approve Christopher G. Hollins, a 33 year old Houston attorney to hold the Clerk’s job only in an interim role with the provision he’ll not seek the elected position.