A fifth-generation Texan, husband, father of five, grandfather of twelve, courageous conservative, and successful businessman, Don Huffines brings a private-sector mindset to government. Guided by his deep Texas roots and his commitment to faith, family, and freedom, Huffines has spent his life fighting to protect taxpayers and advance conservative values. As a businessman, he has always followed a simple principle: see beyond the obvious and solve the real problem, not just the symptom. As Huffines often says, his life is guided by three priorities: Jesus, family, and business.

As a State Senator, Huffines was the only elected official who never took a penny of government money, no pay, no pension, no healthcare, no per diem, nothing. As Comptroller, he will refuse a salary and always put taxpayers first.

His tenure in the Texas Senate is best remembered for his fearless fight against government corruption. Huffines uncovered one of the largest government corruption scandals in modern Texas history: a $100 million agency that was stealing millions in taxpayer funds. Despite $1.3 million in lobbyist pressure to block his investigation, he persisted. His work led to six officials being sent to prison and the agency being shut down overnight, saving Texans tens of millions of dollars.

Now, Huffines is running as the Republican Nominee for Texas Comptroller to bring business-minded discipline and urgency to Austin. He has a proven record of fighting for taxpayers and leading with courage when it matters most. Because of his record, Huffines has earned the endorsement of every major conservative and business organization in Texas.

After leaving the Senate, Don founded the Huffines Liberty Foundation, a research institute advancing liberty, prosperity, and virtue in Texas. The Foundation produces policy research, holds lawmakers accountable, and promotes conservative solutions for lowering property taxes, reducing regulations, and strengthening protections against government overreach.

Born and raised in Dallas, Huffines learned the value of hard work early, greasing cars for $2 an hour at his family’s business, Huffines Motor Company. After earning a B.B.A. in Finance from the University of Texas, he co-founded Huffines Communities in 1985 which is now one of the largest real estate development firms in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. For decades, he has built communities, created jobs, and helped thousands of Texans achieve the dream of homeownership. He built his business by running a lean operation, recruiting top talent, and treating every customer with respect. That same focus on efficiency and results is exactly how he will approach the Comptroller’s office.

Don and his wife of 37 years, Mary Catherine, have 5 children, Colin, Devin, Terence, Deirdre, and Russell, and are proud grandparents 12 times over. A passionate historian and outdoorsman, Huffines is deeply committed to preserving Texas heritage and passing on the values that make Texas strong.

As Comptroller, Don Huffines will work to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse in government, audit agencies, expose corruption, and fight to return surplus funds to taxpayers through property tax relief. He believes government should operate with the urgency and efficiency of a well-run business. Together, we can keep Texas strong and make it a lasting lighthouse of liberty, prosperity, and virtue.

Adam Bogard is the chief appraiser of the Harris Central Appraisal District, a role he has held since January 1, 2026.

As the chief executive officer for one of the largest assessment entities in the United States, he is responsible for more than 700 employees and more than 1.9 million properties with a total market value of approximately $902 billion.

Bogard joined the appraisal district in 2004 as an appraiser trainee in the residential property division.  He has held a number of positions of increasing responsibility including residential appraiser, residential field supervisor, manager of industrial valuation, associate chief appraiser and deputy chief appraiser.

He received a bachelor of science in psychology from the University of Houston in 2003.  He has presented on various appraisal topics and is a state-licensed instructor focusing on mass appraisal. 

Bogard is an active member of the Texas Association of Appraisal Districts and serves as the chairman of the conference committee and is past president of the TAAD International Association of Assessing Officers chapter. 

Mark Holmes is Senior Tax Counsel for the Council On State Taxation (COST), where he advises multistate businesses on key state and local tax policy, legislative developments, and property tax administration. He works closely with corporate tax professionals and policymakers to promote fair, equitable, and administrable state tax systems. Mark frequently speaks on emerging SALT issues and supports COST’s mission to advance sound, nondiscriminatory taxation of multijurisdictional businesses.

Katie Glanz, PhD, is a Policy Analyst for TTARA, bringing 18 years of experience in public policy research, legislative analysis, and regulatory strategy. She previously served as a Manager in KPMG’s Federal Advisory practice, where she led policy work for major Health and Human Services programs, developing federal regulatory guidance and supporting large scale program implementation. She also worked as a Senior Policy Analyst at the Texas Legislative Council, producing bill analyses, policy memos, and research for state lawmakers. Katie holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Johns Hopkins University.

Celine Kim, PhD, is a Policy Analyst for TTARA. She brings experience analyzing budgets, ACFRs, fiscal trends, and policy proposals to produce clear, nonpartisan evaluations of tax, expenditure, and debt policies. Before joining TTARA, Celine conducted applied research on municipal finance and debt management at the University of Texas at Austin and supported pension policy analysis at the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. She has also taught graduate level courses on taxation, financial accounting, and public finance analytics. Celine holds an MPA and a BA in Political Science from the University of Alabama and earned her PhD in Public Policy at UT Austin’s LBJ School of Public Affairs.

Jenny Burleson, Director of the Tax Policy Division at the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts since Nov. 2021. She's been with the agency since 2011 working in various divisions including Administrative Hearings, Policy, and Audit, as well as an administrative law judge at the State Office of Administrative Hearings hearing tax cases. Based in the Comptroller's Austin office where she lives with her husband and 1st grade son. 

Janelle Fritts is a Senior Policy Analyst with the Tax Foundation’s Center for State Tax Policy. She is the lead researcher on the annual State Tax Competitiveness Index and serves as a resource to policymakers in their efforts to modernize and improve the structures of their state tax codes. Her work has been cited in The New York Times, the Associated Press, Bloomberg, and numerous state media outlets across the country.

Janelle has been with the Tax Foundation since 2019, with a brief hiatus to teach high school literature, logic, and rhetoric. Before joining the state team, she interned at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, the Reason Foundation, and the Illinois Policy Institute. She graduated from Dordt University (Sioux Center, Iowa) with a bachelor’s degree in English with a writing emphasis and a minor in Chemistry.

Born and raised in Midland, Michigan, Janelle now lives in Reston, Virginia. In her free time, she enjoys baking, thrifting, and spending time with her husband and infant daughter.

Leah Pic serves as Senior Tax Manager at Delta Utilities, where she leads the company’s tax compliance and tax accounting functions. Her responsibilities include oversight of federal, state, and local income, franchise, property, sales and use, and other tax filings, as well as support for regulatory filings, business initiatives, and external tax service providers.

Prior to joining Delta Utilities, Leah spent more than 18 years with Deloitte Tax, advising both public and private companies across a broad range of industries. Her experience includes federal and state tax compliance, ASC 740 tax accounting, financial statement audit support, mergers and acquisitions, and tax controversy matters.

Throughout her career, Leah has managed complex tax engagements and provided strategic guidance on technical tax issues, reporting requirements, and regulatory compliance. Her deep technical expertise and practical approach help support Delta Utilities’ financial and operational objectives.

Leah earned her Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from Tulane University and her Master of Science in Taxation from the University of New Orleans. She is also a licensed Certified Public Accountant.

Blaike Lee Ordes, JD, D.C.L., joined Advantous Consulting in 2022 as a legal intern while attending Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center (“PMH”). Blaike graduated from PMH in May of 2023, passed the July 2023 Bar, and was sworn in on October 16th, 2023. Blaike now serves as a Legal Associate on the Appeals and Disputes team and as a Policy and Legislative Affairs Associate on the External Affairs team.

While at PMH, Blaike enjoyed serving the community in her spare time. She was a member of the Public Interest Law Society where she served as Head Community Service Chair. In this position, Blaike arranged multiple community service opportunities for the students and faculty at PMH such as donation drives and days of service. She was recognized for organizing the 2022 Fall Day of Service where over 100 law students contributed nearly 300 hours of volunteer work. Blaike also served as the Community Outreach Chair for the Society of Asian Lawyers where she organized service events for the Asian community. Lastly, Blaike served as a Commissioner for the Barristers’ Bowl. Barristers’ Bowl is a charity event put on by law students to raise money for a charity of their choosing. In her last year as Commissioner, Blaike and her team raised over $26,000 for a Make-A-Wish child, far exceeding their goal of $15,000. Blaike continues to serve the community through as Co-Chair of the Advantous Community Service Team.

Jason R. Brown, Esq. is the Managing Partner of Advantous Law LLC, a Louisiana-based law firm focusing on State and Local Tax matters. He leads the Tax Controversy, Disputes and Appeals Practice.

For more than 20 years Jason has advised companies of all sizes on all aspects of Louisiana tax law. Jason practices, principally, in the area of tax controversy and dispute resolution, including high-stakes litigation before the Louisiana Board of Tax Appeals and Louisiana’s district and appellate courts. He assists clients at every stage of the audit, assessment and appeal processes, from audit intake, field work and review; to administrative protests and appeals. To the extent matters cannot be resolved at the administrative level, Jason is an experienced tax litigator, achieving many favorable decisions. His experience extends to all taxes imposed by the state of Louisiana and its various local jurisdictions, including sales/use; corporate income/franchise; severance; ad valorem (property); withholding; occupational license; hotel occupancy; and other excise and miscellaneous taxes levied by the state and local authorities. In the sales/use tax context, Jason has vast experience assisting clients with navigating Louisiana’s two-tiered, independent system of state and local tax levy, administration and enforcement. He also has significant experience in the thorny area of Louisiana tax procedure, ensuring taxpayers’ protest/appeal rights (in both the assessment and refund contexts) are protected.

In addition to his tax controversy work, Jason advises clients on tax planning opportunities, including credits and incentives; seeking and obtaining refunds (administratively and, after denial, through appeals to the Louisiana Board of Tax Appeals and the courts); voluntary disclosure agreements; private letter rulings; and in legislative matters (where he is often consulted to formulate and present taxpayers’ perspective – generally or by specific industry – on proposed substantive or procedural law).

Jason is a Principal Member of Independent SALT Alliance, an invitation-only association of respected state and local tax attorneys, CPAs and consultants from nearly every state in the country, where he previously served on the Board of Directors. He also serves on the planning committee for the annual ABA/IPT Advanced Sales/Use Tax Symposium.

Jason is a frequent presenter on state and local tax issues; regularly publishes updates and articles on state and local tax issues, most recently on digital advertising taxes in the ABA-Tax Section’s Tax Times publication; and is often consulted by general and legal news publications regarding Louisiana tax laws or the effects of national laws on Louisiana taxpayers. He has been a guest lecturer for Georgetown University Law Center’s State & Local Tax Certificate program and has served as an adjunct professor of law at Southern University Law Center. Jason participated as a Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) 2019 Fellow and remains active with the LCLD Alumni organization. He received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from Southern University Law Center in 2018 and was named to New Orleans CityBusiness’ Leadership in Law class in 2021. He also serves, as the appointed representative of the Louis A. Martinet Legal Society New Orleans and Baton Rouge Chapters, on the advisory committee that chooses the member of the Louisiana Board of Tax Appeals to serve as the Board’s Local Division Judge.

Jason M. DeCuir, MBA, JD, LLM, is Co-owner and Partner with Advantous Consulting, LLC, a leading multi-state tax services firm headquartered in Louisiana, with offices in Texas, that uniquely delivers customizable, end-to-end solutions ranging from turnkey compliance services to high-level planning and advisory consulting. His focus is on multi-state growth initiatives, strategic alliances, acquisitions, and expansion of all business and service lines. Jason oversees Advantous’ Sales and Use Tax, Property Tax, Income and Franchise Tax, Appeals and Disputes, Government Relations, and Business Development teams. Mr. DeCuir is also the Founding Partner of Advantous Law LLC, a Louisiana-based law firm, which exclusively focuses on State and Local Tax law matters.

Mr. DeCuir began his career as a law clerk to Judge Frank J. Polozola of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana. He then practiced as a Transactional and Tax Attorney at several large law firms, where he was Partner. Prior to joining Advantous in 2020, Jason was Principal at a global tax services firm where he was responsible for a broad range of SALT issues in multiple states, primarily focused on dispute resolution and advocacy. He also served as Chief of Staff, Assistant Secretary and Executive Counsel at the Louisiana Department of Revenue (LDR), where he was an advisor to three State Secretaries and to the Governor regarding legal and policy matters affecting state taxation. During his tenure at LDR, Mr. DeCuir managed the Litigation, Policy and Legislative Services, Criminal Investigation, and Public Affairs Divisions.

A national expert in the field of state and local tax policy, Mr. DeCuir has been an esteemed tax industry professional for over 20 years, representing businesses across all industry sectors and managing complex tax matters. He is also a policy and legislative expert within the walls of many State Capitols across the country, advocating for sound tax policy ideas and reforms.

With respect to tax policy, Jason is actively involved with and frequents as a guest speaker for national organizations such as the Council on State Taxation (COST), the Institute for Professionals in Taxation (IPT), Tax Executives Institute, Inc. (TEI), the Federation of Tax Administrators (FTA), the Multistate Tax Commission (MTC), and the Southeastern Association of Tax Administrators (SEATA). He has also made appearances on state and local television programs and can be heard on local talk radio shows serving as a subject matter expert in the industry of taxation.

Mr. DeCuir has been appointed to serve on a multitude of state councils and commissions, most recently as the Chairman of Louisiana Association of Business and Industry’s (LABI) Board of Directors and is also the Chairman of its Taxation & Finance Issue Council. He serves on the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association Board of Directors, the Texas Association of Business Board of Directors, the Taxpayer for IRS Transformation, the Louisiana Sales Tax Streamlining and Modernization Commission, the Louisiana Tax Institute, the Louisiana Task Force on Structural Change in Budget and Tax Policy (HCR 11), the PAR Constitutional Advisory Council, the PAR Tax Advisory Committee, and the Mississippi Department of Revenue Business Advisory Council. He has served on the Governor’s fiscal transition team to advise on budgetary and tax issues and was appointed Chair of the Louisiana Economic Recovery Task Force by Senate President Page Cortez and Speaker of the House Clay Schexnayder to revive the state’s economy due to the impacts of COVID-19. During the 2020 special session, Jason was appointed Chair of the HR 31 Centralized Sales and Use Tax Administration Study Group to develop legislation to centralize Louisiana’s sales tax collection system. In 2013, the Governor of Louisiana entrusted him in spearheading tax reform efforts and was successfully instrumental in reforming the structure for tax appeals in the state of Louisiana, increasing the state’s COST scorecard from a “D-” to a “B.”

Jason earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Howard University where he earned Academic All-American as a placekicker in the football program. He also earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Louisiana Tech University, a Bachelor of Civil Law and Juris Doctorate degree from Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center, and a Master of Laws degree in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center.

He is active in the community, serving on the Boards of the Food Bank, Boys and Girls Club, Cristo Rey Franciscan High School, Inspire Charter Academy, Salvation Army, and Young Leaders Academy. He is a member of the Federal, State and Local Bar Associations in Louisiana. In his spare time, Jason enjoys golfing, boating and is a color commentator for high school football on a major television network in Louisiana.

Christopher (“Chris”) Hallstrom, CPA, CMI, joined the Advantous team as the Director of Income and Franchise Tax in 2026. Chris is a highly accomplished State and Local Tax (SALT) professional with 25 years of dedicated tax experience. Specializing in complex multistate income and franchise tax matters, Chris has spent the last 20 years helping organizations navigate the intricate and ever-shifting landscape of state taxation.

​Throughout his career, Chris has served as a trusted advisor to a diverse portfolio of clients, ranging from dynamic solopreneurs and middle-market enterprises to Fortune 500 giants and multinational corporations. He possesses deep technical expertise in strategic state tax recovery, liability minimization reviews, tax controversy, state tax due diligence, and sophisticated multistate apportionment and nexus consulting.

​A dual-licensed Certified Public Accountant in both Arizona and Rhode Island, Chris holds the prestigious CMI designation from the Institute for Professionals in Taxation (IPT). His rigorous academic foundation includes an MBA from Johnson & Wales University, a Master of Taxation from Villanova University, and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in State and Local Tax from Villanova’s Graduate Tax Program.

Ryan Humbert joined Advantous Consulting as the Director of Business Incentives in 2026. Ryan is a seasoned tax credits and incentives leader with nearly 20 years of experience designing, implementing, and optimizing federal and state incentive strategies for complex, multistate employers. He has held senior leadership roles with nationally recognized organizations including First Advantage, Equifax, Synergi, and HRlogics, where he led large-scale compliance and credit calculation initiatives across diverse industries.

Throughout his career, Ryan has directed the end-to-end lifecycle of tax credit programs from eligibility analysis and data capture strategy to audit defense and regulatory compliance. He has overseen the calculation and substantiation of a broad range of federal and state incentives, ensuring strict adherence to statutory requirements while maximizing financial outcomes for clients. His expertise spans multi-jurisdictional wage-based credits, location-based incentives, and negotiated economic development agreements.

Over the past six years alone, Ryan has helped organizations secure more than $300 million in tax credits and incentives. He is known for building scalable operational frameworks that align tax strategies with finance, HR, and executive leadership teams transforming incentives from a reactive compliance function into a proactive revenue generating strategy. His approach emphasizes risk mitigation, defensibility, process efficiency, and measurable ROI.

Ryan earned his Bachelor of Science from Indiana University Kelley School of Business and his Master of Business Administration from Indiana Wesleyan University.

Carl Walker recently joined Advantous Consulting as Tax Director, where he will guide Texas strategy, enhance a thriving property tax practice solidifying Advantous’ presence across the state. He serves as the primary advisor on Texas state and local tax policy, representing the firm across key industry and legislative forums. Carl has been asked to continue serving on the Texas Association of Appraisal Districts’ PTAD/TDLR Laison Committee and Industry Laison Committee.

Carl previously led Texas Taxpayers and Research Association’s (TTARA) work on property tax policy through education, bill analysis, and support of key industry working groups. He was one of the leading property tax voices to the Texas Legislature playing vital roles in the crafting of key property tax legislation relating to property tax exemptions, incentives, tax rate limitations, interim charge studies, and property tax system improvements. During his time at TTARA, Carl has authored various property tax related briefs and reports. He led a group of TTARA members in the development of a Texas School Tax Incentive Framework that was used in the initial bill draft for the Jobs, Energy, Technology, and Innovations (JETI) Act. Carl has testified before state legislative committees on key tax bills and interim charges. He was routinely invited to participate in speaking engagements including TTARA Luncheons, Texas Oil & Gas Association (TXOGA) , Texas Society of CPA’s, SALT Summits, COST Events, Various State Taxpayers Associations, Legal Seminars, Webcasts, and Podcasts.

Previously, he served as the Property Tax Manager for Anadarko Petroleum Corp., where he worked for over 15 years in progressive tax leadership roles. He has experience in property tax appraisal, compliance, and tax policy review, including reviews of local jurisdiction tax rates and budgets. He was a member of the TXOGA Mineral Appraisal Sub-Committee and chaired the TXOGA Local Jurisdictions Sub-Committee. In Kansas, Carl led industry negotiations with the Department of Revenue to implement adjustments to forecast natural gas pricing in appraisals. During his time at Anadarko, he gained extensive local government affairs experience and led a team that won the 2012 Gulf Coast Oil and Gas Award for Corporate and Social Responsibility. Carl has prior experience in severance tax and state & local income/franchise tax.

Carl is a CPA (Certified Public Accountant), registered Texas lobbyist, and received his BBA in Accounting, Finance, and Real Estate from Baylor University.

Scott Bordelon joined Advantous in 2021 and currently serves as Senior Manager in its Sales and Use Tax practice. Scott has practiced in Indirect Tax for ten years. Prior to joining Advantous, Scott represented manufacturing clients with an international tax firm for nine years. Scott specializes in multi-state sales and use tax audit defense and reverse audits. He is a member of the Louisiana Association of Tax Administrators and holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Louisiana State University.

Matt Rookard is the Senior Manager of External Affairs for Advantous Consulting. Mr. Rookard focuses his efforts on building relationships with community partners and business organizations. 

Mr. Rookard began his career at Louisiana Economic Development (LED) where he served as a Project Manager servicing a diverse collection of projects throughout the State of Louisiana.  Mr. Rookard then served as the Senior Vice President of Business Development for Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO, Inc.), where he oversaw Business Recruitment, Business Retention, and Research for the 10-parish area in southeast Louisiana.

Mr. Rookard later became the Chief Executive Officer of Terrebonne Economic Development Authority (TEDA) in Houma, LA where he brought a shuttered economic development organization back to fruitful operations. 

Throughout his career, Mr. Rookard has served on the Board of Directors for several chambers of commerce and non-profit organizations.

Mr. Rookard is a graduate of Louisiana Tech University.  He and his wife, Kelly, are parents to three boys – Spann (9), Evariste (7), and Teddy (4).