The general counsel's office, an in-house law office for the district, is made up of attorneys who provide legal advice and counsel to district and campus administrators, according to the district's website. The general counsel, a licensed attorney, heads the office and reports directly to the Superintendent of Schools while serving on the Superintendent’s Executive Team.
Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde appointed Stuart Bowen to the position. Bowen started his career as an Air Force intelligence officer before graduating from law school in the early 1990s, according to the press release. Bowen came to Austin to to work as a briefing attorney for Texas Supreme Court Justice Raul Gonzalez. After this judicial clerkship, he was assistant attorney general under Attorney General Dan Morales. He then served on then-Governor Bush's staff as deputy general counsel, the release said.
As the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction for both Presidents Barack Obama and Bush, Bowen conducted more than 400 audits and inspections that led to the recovery of roughly $1.5 billion, the release said.
Most recently, Bowen worked as inspector general for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, where his job was to reduce Medicaid fraud. He has saved taxpayers millions of dollars, according to the release.
