As the contract manager with the Texas Health & Human Services Commission, Adriane City Addison is a program specialist knowledgeable in oversight, organization, and policy. Surpassing a 20-year milestone of employment with the state, she works within Title 5 of the United States Code which covers “government organization and employees.” The federal program she is responsible for provides grants to communities for care facilities and clinics specifically for children’s medical and dental needs. At the helm day-to-day, Ms. Addison manages 40 client services contracts, tracks them for deliverables, handles renewals, and ensures budget accuracy. Further, she provides technical assistance to contractors by interpreting policies and procedures, is a strong program subject matter expert and liaison between contractors and Health and Development Services program staff, and establishes relationships with vendors by offering technical assistance, attentive customer service, and more.
Highly credentialled with key certifications as a Texas contract manager, a Texas purchaser, and a project management professional, in addition to completing vital coursework towards an associate degree from Austin Community College, Ms. Addison feels gratified to have steadily learned, grown, and advanced each year for the past two decades, starting as a mid-level clerk and rising to her current position with the aspiration to continue climbing the ranks. Most fulfilling to her is knowing that she is assisting a diversity of people in communities, including some individuals who are undocumented. During her career, Ms. Addison acquired a wide array of professional skill sets that have culminated to greatly benefit her today. In previous roles, she was a tax examiner technician with the Internal Revenue Service in addition to prior Texas Health & Human Services Commission positions at various levels as a systems analyst, program specialist, and staff services officer after stints as an executive assistant for the Texas Department of Insurance and a purchaser for the Texas Department of Agriculture.
Entrenched in serving her community as well as her profession from the genesis of her career, Ms. Addison is a present or past member or leader in a litany of organizations. These groups include, yet are not limited to, the American Library Association, the Employee Assistance Program, the Employee Advisory Committee, the State Employee Charitable Campaign, the Service Employee Engagement Incident Command Team, Executive Women in Texas Government, the Wellness Program, and the Aspiring Leadership Academy/Executive Leadership Academy. A prolific photographer who also enjoys painting, Ms. Addison says she may retire within the next five years after she is eligible and start her own photography business. An avid writer of stories, poems, and songs, she also hopes to publish a book.
Born to parents Novella and Don City, Ms. Addison is the proud mother of young adults Ariyana and James. She believes that her success in life has happened as the result of her resilience, positive mindset, enthusiasm, willingness to learn, strong communication skills, and the ability to effectively work independently or as part of a team. She is grateful to have a career with advancement opportunities that have kept her motivated and determined to move forward during deeply challenging times in her life. A major career and lifetime takeaway for Ms. Addison is learning to have empathy while helping people throughout the state of Texas, making it far more than a job and giving her a personal purpose. Her simple yet salient motto is, “Smile,” the act she ultimately achieved after re-emerging from being severely injured in 2015, suffering the loss of physical functions and her memory, which prevented her from working for six years. Yet, after intensive therapy and the resilience that defines her, Ms. Addison returned to employment with the state and has continued to thrive.
