Former state Rep. Shawn Thierry – who switched to the GOP after a Democratic primary loss last year – is now working at Texas Southern University, her alma mater. Texas Southern officials announced Thierry's appointment as executive director for policy and counsel last week.

The university is hoping to streamline administrative operations, improve AI literacy and enhance recruitment efforts. It has also requested millions more from the legislature for other tech-related initiatives.

Thierry lost her re-election bid for Texas House District 146 in a Democratic primary runoff last May and then switched to the Republican party a few months later. She is an alumna of the historically Black university in the Third Ward.

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