George P. Bush Appoints First Female Chief Clerk of the Texas General Land Office

AUSTIN - Commissioner George P. Bush today announced the appointment of Anne Idsal to serve as the first female Chief Clerk of the Texas General Land Office. In this constitutionally mandated position, Idsal will act as the chief executive officer for the Land Office and manage the daily activities of the agency.  An experienced Texas lawyer with extensive government experience, Idsal has been a vital adviser serving previously as General Counsel and now as Chief Clerk.
 

"As Land Commissioner, I am committed to recruiting and leading a diverse group of dedicated, enthusiastic and highly skilled professionals who can help me transform this agency into an innovative, efficient service provider for the Texas taxpayer," Commissioner Bush said. "Anne's keen intellect and proven capacity for leadership have made her a stand-out amongst her colleagues and I am proud to have her lead our GLO team through this transformative chapter."

The Chief Clerk is the only GLO employee, other than the Commissioner, who may act on the Commissioner's behalf, contractually bind the agency, and serve as acting Commissioner due to absence, resignation, impeachment or death.  Since the Chief Clerk is designated as the substitute for the Land Commissioner, the position is bound by the same constitutional oath administered to elected officials.

"From day one Commissioner Bush has set high expectations for his staff to perform at a higher level and achieve superior results with greater efficiency," Idsal said. "Our instructions are clear: identify and implement cost-saving methods for delivering higher quality services to the people of Texas. I look forward to working together with our GLO team, particularly on the issues of education, energy and veterans, to ensure that the GLO serves the people and gets results for all Texans."

Anne Idsal is a graduate of Baylor Law School and joined the General Land Office as General Counsel from her previous position serving in the same capacity at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).  Previous TCEQ positions included Special Counsel, Executive Assistant to the Chairman, and Assistant General Counsel.  Earlier in her career, Idsal served as a legislative adviser to the United States Senate Judiciary Committee and interned for the Northern District Court of Texas and Texas Supreme Court.

The position of Chief Clerk is a historically significant role in Texas state government. The 1836 Republic of Texas law establishing the Texas General Land Office and the position of Land Commissioner also provided that the Commissioner must appoint a Chief Clerk to assist him in performing all duties required in his official capacity and to act as Commissioner in his absence.  After Texas became a state and the Land Office became a state agency, the position of Chief Clerk remained.

The daily activities of the Chief Clerk include approval of all budget and expenditure matters; approval of all agency policies and procedures; approval of internal audit reports; executing all binding contracts related to agency activities; and final approval regarding all personnel actions. Other duties of the Chief Clerk are approval of all GLO legislative reports and agency publications; approval of all correspondence for the Commissioner's signature; approval of all agenda items prior to board and commission meetings on which the Commissioner serves; and, in the Commissioner's absence, representing him in his official capacity on all boards and commissions on which he serves as chairman or member.