Texas / Department of State Health Services

Agency file

Department of State Health Services

Source file: Texas — State Employee Salaries (Texas Tribune) / ingested Jun 18, 2026

The Department of State Health Services oversees public health and medical services — disease prevention, clinics and hospitals, and health licensing and regulation.

In 2026, this agency had 3,590 employees with median total compensation of $63,400; the highest distinct record was $300,000.

Year: 2026
Total payroll: $246.5M
Employees: 3,590
Median total: $63,400
Highest record: $300,000

What the records show

Compensation analytics

These summaries compare pay within the agency before listing individual records.

Salary distribution

$9,660$142,884+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How 2026 total compensation is spread across the 3,590 employees. Each bar is a pay range; taller bars mean more people earn in that range. The amber line marks the median ($63,400) — half earn less, half more. The far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Average pay composition

Base — $68,663 (100%)
Overtime — $0 (0%)
Other — $0 (0%)
Benefits — $0 (0%)

What an average paycheck here is made of — base salary versus overtime, other pay (bonuses, allowances), and benefits. A large overtime or other-pay share means take-home often exceeds base salary.

Pay percentiles

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$46,139

$54,278

$63,400

$76,000

$92,496

The pay ladder for this department. Someone at the 90th percentile earns $92,496 — more than 90% of the department; the 10th percentile earns $46,139. The shaded band is the middle half of employees (25th–75th percentile).

Largest job titles

Public Health & Prvnt Specialist I

146 · $46,139

Program Specialist IV

123 · $61,000

Public Health & Prvnt Specialist III

123 · $51,622

Program Specialist II

117 · $56,693

Program Specialist III

114 · $56,035

The most common job titles in this department by headcount, with the median total compensation for each. Click a title to see everyone who holds it.

Trend

Year over year

How this department's total payroll, headcount, and median pay changed across the 2 published years.

Year	Total payroll	Employees	Median pay
2025	$258.8M —	3,832 —	$63,000 —
2026	$246.5M ▼ 4.8%	3,590 ▼ 6.3%	$63,400 ▲ 0.6%

Record list

Employees

Page 1

Lester Mattson

Pharmacist II/Department of State Health Services

2026 total comp

$126,196

Base pay: $126,196
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $126,196
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: A

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 4493
Hire Date: Jun 29, 2015
Monthly Pay: $10,516
State Employee Number: 787484

Lester Mattson works as a Pharmacist II for Department of State Health Services. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. Lester earned $126,196 in 2026.

Ronald Tyler

Veterinarian II/Department of State Health Services

2026 total comp

$124,606

Base pay: $124,606
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $124,606
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: D

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 4127
Hire Date: Sep 24, 2014
Monthly Pay: $10,384
State Employee Number: 767040

At Department of State Health Services, Ronald Tyler serves as a Veterinarian II. They work crf - classified regular full-time. Their 2026 pay totaled $124,606.

Amanda Kieffer

Veterinarian II/Department of State Health Services

2026 total comp

$124,606

Base pay: $124,606
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $124,606
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: J

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 4127
Hire Date: Jan 16, 2018
Monthly Pay: $10,384
State Employee Number: 1107488

Amanda Kieffer works as a Veterinarian II for Department of State Health Services. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. Amanda earned $124,606 in 2026.

Brent Moore

Veterinarian II/Department of State Health Services

2026 total comp

$124,606

Base pay: $124,606
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $124,606
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: L

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 4127
Hire Date: Feb 1, 2020
Monthly Pay: $10,384
State Employee Number: 1252381

Brent Moore works as a Veterinarian II for Department of State Health Services. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. Brent earned $124,606 in 2026.

David Smonko

Veterinarian II/Department of State Health Services

2026 total comp

$124,606

Base pay: $124,606
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $124,606
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: W

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 4127
Hire Date: Aug 1, 2018
Monthly Pay: $10,384
State Employee Number: 1130537

David Smonko is a Veterinarian II at Department of State Health Services. They work crf - classified regular full-time. 2026 total compensation came to $124,606.

Cherissa Abdul-Hamid

Veterinarian II/Department of State Health Services

2026 total comp

$124,606

Base pay: $124,606
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $124,606
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 4127
Hire Date: Sep 1, 2021
Monthly Pay: $10,384
State Employee Number: 1421676

At Department of State Health Services, Cherissa Abdul-Hamid serves as a Veterinarian II. They work crf - classified regular full-time. Their 2026 pay totaled $124,606.

Brendan Sullivan

Veterinarian II/Department of State Health Services

2026 total comp

$124,606

Base pay: $124,606
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $124,606
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: J

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 4127
Hire Date: Jun 10, 2022
Monthly Pay: $10,384
State Employee Number: 1467834

Brendan Sullivan is a Veterinarian II at Department of State Health Services. They work crf - classified regular full-time. 2026 total compensation came to $124,606.

Annajane Marlar

Veterinarian II/Department of State Health Services

2026 total comp

$124,606

Base pay: $124,606
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $124,606
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: B

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 4127
Hire Date: Nov 1, 2023
Monthly Pay: $10,384
State Employee Number: 1678228

Annajane Marlar holds the role of Veterinarian II at Department of State Health Services. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $124,606.

Susan Schaff

Veterinarian II/Department of State Health Services

2026 total comp

$124,606

Base pay: $124,606
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $124,606
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 4127
Hire Date: Apr 14, 2025
Monthly Pay: $10,384
State Employee Number: 190974

Susan Schaff holds the role of Veterinarian II at Department of State Health Services. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $124,606.

Peggy Hines

Director II/Department of State Health Services

2026 total comp

$123,458

Base pay: $123,458
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $123,458
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: A

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 1621
Hire Date: Feb 12, 2018
Monthly Pay: $10,288
State Employee Number: 749568

Peggy Hines holds the role of Director II at Department of State Health Services. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $123,458.

Cathy Tran

Director II/Department of State Health Services

2026 total comp

$120,750

Base pay: $120,750
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $120,750
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 1621
Hire Date: Aug 5, 2024
Monthly Pay: $10,063
State Employee Number: 1121297

Cathy Tran holds the role of Director II at Department of State Health Services. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $120,750.