Teneshia Hudspeth is County Clerk of the third-largest county in the nation and the largest county in the State of Texas. Harris County has a population of more than 4.7 million. She is also the youngest and first African-American woman to serve in this elected role. Clerk Hudspeth is a native of Austin, Texas, but has called Houston home for more than 20 years.
Clerk Hudspeth has been with the County Clerk’s office for more than 15 years and has served under four County Clerks. She began her career as the Public Affairs Administrative Assistant, was promoted to Voter Outreach Coordinator and Public Information Officer, eventually becoming the Administrator of Communications and Voter Outreach. In January 2020, she was appointed Chief Deputy, responsible for office operations and in less than a year was elected Harris County Clerk. As County Clerk, her primary goal is to provide the public with quality customer service. She is committed to improving government services through new technology to make them readily available and accessible.
Clerk Hudspeth earned her degree in Communications at Texas Southern University. She began her political career over 18 years ago, with work on Capitol Hill as a Mickey Leland Congressional intern for the Office of Congressman Chet Edwards. She is also a graduate of the Leadership Houston (Class XXXIV) and the Women’s Campaign School at Yale University. Clerk Hudspeth is currently Membership Chair of the Houston Chapter of Women Professionals in Government and serves as Secretary for the Executive Board of the International Association of Government Officials. She is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Houston Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter and member of The Fountain of Praise; however, these are only a few of the many community organizations she supports.
In December 2012, Teneshia and a group of colleagues founded the Houston Black Leadership Institute (HBLI), a leadership development program for African-American young professionals, focused on succession planning and bridging the gap between past, present, and future leadership in Houston’s African-American community. Clerk Hudspeth’s innate desire to serve the community through volunteer work and leadership positions has taught her that service to the community is not a chore, but a way of life. She and her husband Samson Babalola are the happy parents of 5-year-old Josiah.
Teneshia Hudspeth
County Clerk
Office of Teneshia Hudspeth,
Harris County Clerk
201 Caroline, 4th Fl.
Houston, TX 77002
(713) 274-8600
cclerk.hctx.net
