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

Kavita Amin

Dentist I/Department of State Health Services

2025 total comp

$131,250

Base pay: $131,250
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $131,250
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: S

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 4455
Hire Date: Aug 26, 2024
Monthly Pay: $10,938
State Employee Number: 1730451

Kavita Amin holds the role of Dentist I at Department of State Health Services. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. In 2025, their total compensation was $131,250.

Katherine Lindley

Adv Practice Rgd Nurse I/Department of State Health Services

2026 total comp

$130,104

Base pay: $130,104
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $130,104
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 4270
Hire Date: Sep 1, 2022
Monthly Pay: $10,842
State Employee Number: 958613

Katherine Lindley is a Adv Practice Rgd Nurse I at Department of State Health Services. They work crf - classified regular full-time. 2026 total compensation came to $130,104.

Meri Hulse

Director III/Department of State Health Services

2026 total comp

$130,000

Base pay: $130,000
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $130,000
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: D

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 1622
Hire Date: Apr 1, 2020
Monthly Pay: $10,833
State Employee Number: 347429

Meri Hulse works as a Director III for Department of State Health Services. Their status is crf - classified regular full-time. Meri earned $130,000 in 2026.

Eric Fonken

Veterinarian III/Department of State Health Services

2026 total comp

$127,000

Base pay: $127,000
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $127,000
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1
Middle name: P

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 4129
Hire Date: Sep 1, 2004
Monthly Pay: $10,583
State Employee Number: 139754

Eric Fonken is a Veterinarian III at Department of State Health Services. They work crf - classified regular full-time. 2026 total compensation came to $127,000.

Tracey Bronnenberg-Manuel

Pharmacist II/Department of State Health Services

2026 total comp

$126,349

Base pay: $126,349
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $0
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $126,349
Employment type: Crf - Classified Regular Full-Time
Full-time equivalent (FTE): 1

Source-specific fields

Class Code: 4493
Hire Date: Nov 1, 2013
Monthly Pay: $10,529
State Employee Number: 515563

At Department of State Health Services, Tracey Bronnenberg-Manuel serves as a Pharmacist II. They work crf - classified regular full-time. Their 2026 pay totaled $126,349.