Susan Combs was elected Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts in November 2006 and immediately set an innovative course of action to transform state government and prepare Texas for the future beginning her first day in office on Jan. 1, 2007.

As Texas Comptroller

As Comptroller, Susan is the state’s chief financial officer. She manages the state’s treasury operations, monitors Texas’ fiscal health, guides legislative decision makers by estimating state revenues and ensures state taxes are collected fairly and efficiently to fund vital programs and services for the people of Texas. But her focus does not end there.

With a belief that government must be fully accountable to the people it serves, Susan has spearheaded unprecedented efforts to give taxpayers a transparent look at how their dollars are spent. She posted the expenses of the Comptroller’s office online her fourth day on the job and took transparency in government spending to new heights by launching the Where the Money Goes Web site. Considered a model by many other states and open government advocates, the site features a virtual check register that gives the public online access to detailed and up-to-date expenditure information for all state entities.

In addition to shining a light on expenditures, Susan introduced Open Book Texas, a set of initiatives aimed at improving government accounting accuracy, spending and transparency. These initiatives introduce more uniformity in Texas government accounting to spotlight possible spending inefficiencies, make Texas government a better shopper and encourage accountability and transparency. By leading the charge with transparency, she’s now helping local governments open their books and identify ways to spend smarter.

Susan is committed to efficient government. Under her leadership, the Comptroller’s office has implemented a sweeping range of business process improvements projected to save over $10 million by the end of 2010 to reinvest in meeting increased demand for services. Susan also directs a comprehensive study of ways to make Texas government data more cohesive, standardized and efficient. Furthermore, by purchasing goods and services through state-negotiated contracts, the Comptroller has realized savings and cost avoidances totaling over $51 million and representing more than 10 percent of state spending for certain goods and services.

Under Susan’s direction, the Comptroller’s office has set a standard of excellence and efficiency in customer service. Direct customer feedback guides improvements at every level, from an ongoing effort to simplify forms and publications to the award-winning redesign of the agency’s Web site to ensure citizens have the fastest access to the information they need.

Vision For The Future

Susan’s vision for the future drives the efforts of the Comptroller’s office in supporting a prosperous Texas. She has released vital reports on statewide trends, including Texas in Focus: A Statewide View of Opportunities to look at issues affecting economic growth and The Energy Report, the first of its kind in the nation, to provide a comprehensive assessment of Texas energy options to guide future decisions. The agency’s newest report, Texas Works, examines the changing Texas job market and the growing shortage of workers with the technical skills required for many of the fastest growing jobs.

Because the Texas of tomorrow relies on an educated work force, Susan established the Educational Opportunities and Investment Division at the Comptroller’s office in 2008 to oversee the Texas College Savings Plan and the new prepaid tuition program, the Texas Tuition Promise Fund. Her Every Chance, Every Texan Web site gives families the information they need to plan and save for the education needed for skilled, well-paying jobs. Susan believes in every chance for every Texan to succeed by providing the tools to help fund the education needed for skilled, high-paying positions.

Susan also expanded the duties of the Comptroller’s Local Government Assistance Division to include economic development and launched the Texas Ahead Web site in May 2008 as a one-stop portal to give businesses, global partners and local governments a wealth of economic development tools and resources. Key among these is the Texas EDGE Data Center that puts key economic development information at users’ fingertips.

Government Technology magazine named Susan as one of only three women to the 2009 list of the Top 25 “Doers, Dreamers and Drivers,” recognizing leaders who use technology to solve problems, meet evolving expectations and operate government more efficiently. In recognizing the demand for improved services, Susan’s efforts to reengineer the Comptroller’s office propelled the state to analyze expenses and use electronic tools to offer a transparent look at government spending.

Previous Accomplishments

In 2010 alone Susan Combs was awarded the Texas Travel Industry Association’s Silver Spur Award and the honorable Bob Bullock Award for Outstanding Public Stewardship. In March of 2009 Susan was awarded Government Technology magazine’s Top 25 “Doers, Dreamers and Drivers” award for using technology to solve problems and making government run more efficiently. Also in 2009, Susan was named a “Champion of Small Business” by the National Coalition for Capital for her leadership role in utilizing innovative economic development initiatives. In 2008, Susan won the Realtor Legacy Award for demonstrating the highest level of leadership support to Texas property owners and the Trailblazer Award from the Independent Bankers Association of Texas for support of the independent community banking industry. She has also received wide recognition for her work in the fight against obesity, including the inaugural Leadership Award in Obesity Prevention in 2008 from The Michael & Susan Dell Center for the Advancement of Healthy Living. And in 2006, while she was Texas Agriculture Commissioner, the American Medical Association presented Susan the Dr. Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Government Service, the highest award the AMA can bestow on a public official, for her leadership in championing a groundbreaking public school nutrition policy to address the state’s obesity crisis.

Texans elected Susan in back-to-back elections in 1998 and 2002 to serve as the state’s first woman Agriculture Commissioner. She re-engineered the Texas Department of Agriculture for greater efficiency and took on more responsibility to boost economic development, ignite revitalization, promote Texas products through the GO TEXAN marketing campaign and helped Texas schoolchildren eat healthier by launching one of the nation’s strongest school nutrition policies.

The Combs' family ranch in Brewster County

Susan also served two terms in the Texas House of Representatives, where she sponsored and passed the state’s landmark private property rights legislation and authored legislation on tort reform vital to the business community.

After graduating from Vassar College, Susan worked in international advertising in New York, in the financial markets on Wall Street and for the federal government before returning to Texas to obtain her law degree from the University of Texas School of Law. Susan served as an assistant district attorney in Dallas, where her performance as a tough prosecutor of child abuse cases earned her widespread respect.

Susan was born in San Antonio and is a 4th generation Texan with a ranch in Brewster County owned by her great-grandfather more than a century ago. She lives in Austin with her husband, Joe, and is the proud mother of three sons.