Sindhu Menon

Executive Director / Chief Information Officer

Sindhu Menon is the Executive Director and Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Harris County Universal Services. As Executive Director and CIO, she oversees the design, implementation, and maintenance of high-quality, innovative, and cost-effective products and solutions for the departments and precincts of Harris County.

Sindhu began her career in information technology in the private sector and then transitioned into public sector as an enterprise architect with the Government of Ontario in Canada. Prior to joining Harris County, Sindhu was the CIO for the City of Raleigh, NC, and the City of College Station, TX. Sindhu also served the City of Houston as the Assistant Director of ERP and as the Enterprise Data Officer. Throughout her career in IT, Sindhu has led technology teams in various industries including but not limited to finance, manufacturing, insurance, and the public sector. Sindhu holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and a Master of Science in Computer Applications from highly acclaimed international universities. She also earned a Master of Business Administration from University of Texas at Dallas. In addition, she is a Certified Government CIO and has completed Public Leadership Credentials from Harvard University. Never one to end her quest for knowledge, Sindhu is also currently pursuing her Ph.D.

Jeremy Brown

Chief Regulatory Officer


Jeremy L. Brown is the Chief Regulatory Officer (CRO) for Harris County Universal Services. As CRO, he is responsible for overseeing and managing county-wide technology and fleet policies, regulatory compliance, records management program, and external affairs efforts under HCUS’ portfolio.

Before joining HCUS, he was the presiding judge of Harris County Justice of the Peace Court (Precinct 7-1) for two years. During that time, he overhauled the court’s sentencing practices, implementing one of the first court-based eviction prevention programs, while building a community resource center within the courthouse. Jeremy received his Bachelor of Arts from Morehouse College and a Juris Doctor from the University of Oklahoma College of Law.

James Henderson

Chief of Staff


James Henderson is the Chief of Staff (CoS) for Harris County Universal Services. As CoS, he is responsible for guiding the analysis, resourcing and validation of new IT systems and infrastructure to support business operations within departments, offices, and task forces within Harris County to ensure seamless operations.

James joined Universal Services in 2021 after completing a 30-year career in the U.S. Army where he served in high operational tempo environments throughout the world as a commander of complex organizations, a member of joint staffs, and as a strategic planner for the U.S. Pentagon. He holds a Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and Master of Strategic Studies. As a certified Project Management Professional, he enjoys leading HCUS through design implementations of various projects and programs to streamline services to the offices and departments within the county.

Lucy Ortega

Chief HR Officer


Lucy Ortega is the Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) for Harris County Universal Services. As CHRO, she leads the Human Resources (HR) operation of over 500 employees including the communication and marketing divisions. Additionally, she manages a variety of organizational projects and tasks, both strategic and tactical, with a focus on enterprise-level training across the county.

A native of Brownsville, Texas, Lucy holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Government from the University of Texas at Brownsville and a master's in Bilingual and Multicultural Education from the Universidad de Alcalá in Spain, where she was named valedictorian and received the Distinguished Alumni Award. In addition to this, she is also a graduate of the inaugural class at the Latina Leadership Institute of Texas.

Girish Ramachandran

Chief Technology Officer


Girish Ramachandran (GR) is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for Universal Service at Harris County, TX. He is responsible for leading and managing the Information Technology divisions of Enterprise Application, Enterprise IT Infrastructure, Cyber Security Program and ERP services. With over 25 years of IT Executive experience in both public and private sector, he has led multiple strategic initiatives, overseen digital transformation, optimized technology operations, process improvements, advanced cloud adoption, built effective teams and delivered change successfully for organizations across Industries including Telecom, Banking, Hospitality, Aerospace, Defense, State & Local Government.

He was the former CTO for the City of Dallas, Texas, and Strategy & Delivery lead at global organizations like Accenture, Wipro, DXC helping public/private sector clients to significantly improve operational efficiency and implement technology modernization programs. A Member of the Smart Cities Connect Advisory Committee (SCC), a contributor to the Dallas Innovation Alliance (DIA) and a governing body member of the Dallas Chief Data Officer (CDO) community.

Elizabeth Lo

Chief Operating Officer


Elizabeth “Liz” Lo is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Harris County Universal Services. As COO, she is responsible for leading and managing the Project Management, Budget, 311, Public Safety Technology, and the Enterprise Asset Management programs at HCUS.

With more than 25 years of experience in portfolio program management and information technology within the public sector, she has successfully led departments and large-scale business and technology initiatives to modernize and enhance services for local and state governments, focusing on financial, procurement, and criminal justice systems.

She is an active member of the NACo IT Standing Committee and IT Advisory Council. She also currently sits on the board for Fusion Learning Partners, a non-profit organization focused on creating environments that promote learning for the individuals, organizations, and the communities they serve. Liz holds a Bachelor of Science in International Politics from Georgetown University, master’s degrees in Economics and Journalism from Syracuse University, and a Master of Public Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill.