Skip to content
Welcome, we're here to help.
Resources, tips and tools to build a stronger Texas workforce.
TWC Commissioners
On this page:
About the Commissioners
Three full-time commissioners are appointed to the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) by the Governor, one each representing employers, labor, and the public. Together, they oversee the functioning of TWC and develop agency policy.
Mailing Address:
Texas Workforce Commission
101 E 15th St
Austin, TX 78778-0001
Andres Alcantar – Chairman
Commissioner Representing the Public
Andres Alcantar - Chairman
Commissioner Representing the Public
2008-Present
Andres Alcantar is Chairman and Commissioner Representing the Public of the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). Gov. Rick Perry appointed Alcantar in 2008 and designated him Chairman May 1, 2012.
TWC’s mission is to promote and support an effective workforce system that offers employers, individuals, and communities the opportunity to achieve and sustain economic prosperity. TWC oversees the state’s employment, training, child care, and unemployment insurance programs, and delivers these services through Texas Workforce Solutions, a network of 28 Local Workforce Development Boards.
Chairman Alcantar works to implement customized services to meet the needs of Texas’ vast array of industries and advance the development of a strong and competitive workforce. He promotes the expansion of industry based partnerships across the state that center on best practices to help workers and businesses achieve success. He encourages strategies that prepare students for postsecondary success at work or in the classroom, focusing on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) initiatives as a key component of future workforce competitiveness.
Chairman Alcantar previously served as deputy director of the Governor’s Budget, Planning, and Policy Division, advising the Governor on federal, state, and local issues and providing executive oversight to state boards and commissions. His focus included workforce, economic development, and competitiveness issues.
He also served as an adviser to former Governor George W. Bush in the Office of Budget and Planning and was a director for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
Chairman Alcantar received a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in public administration from Texas Tech University.
Ronald G. Congleton – Commissioner Representing Labor
Ronald G. Congleton
Commissioner Representing Labor
2003-Present
Ronald G. Congleton is Commissioner Representing Labor for the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). Governor Rick Perry appointed him to the three-member Commission in October 2003. Governor Perry reappointed him on February 3, 2011. His Commission appointment expires February 1, 2017.
More than 35 years of experience in negotiations and commitment to representing working Texans give Commissioner Congleton a strong background for his role.
Mr. Congleton joined the trucking industry as a driver in 1968 with Consolidated Forwarding then transferred to McLean Trucking in 1970. While with McLean, he became head steward with Teamsters Local 745 in Dallas where he cultivated his leadership skills. Commissioner Congleton remained head steward with Local 745 when he moved to Yellow Freight Systems in 1986, where he also was a registered hazardous material handler. He remained with Yellow Freight Systems until 1997. Mr. Congleton was chosen to be president of the 7,500-member Local 745 in 1997 and served in that capacity until his retirement in 2002. Prior to his retirement, he served as the chairman of the Southern Region Grievance Committee for nine southern states and was a member of the National Grievance Committee in Washington, D.C., from 2000 to 2002.
Before entering his career in trucking and serving Texas' workers, Commissioner Congleton served our nation in the U.S. Navy from 1963 to 1967. As a shipfitter, he served aboard the cruiser U.S.S. Chicago from 1963 to 1965. From 1965 until 1967, he served aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Enterprise in Southeast Asia.
Community Activities
- 32nd Degree Mason
- Honorary Deputy Constable, Dallas
- Veterans of Foreign Wars, Lewisville Post 9168
Honors and Awards
- National Defense Service Medal
- Vietnam Service Medal
- Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
Tom Pauken – Commissioner Representing Employers
Tom Pauken
Commissioner Representing Employers
2008-Present
Commissioner Pauken's Corner
Tom Pauken is Commissioner Representing Employers for the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), where he has served since being appointed by Governor Rick Perry in March 2008. Pauken served as TWC Chairman until April 30, 2012.
He brings decades of public service experience to TWC, having held numerous leadership positions.
In 2007, he served as Chairman of the Governor's Task Force on Appraisal Reform. He served in the White House Counsel's Office under President Reagan, and was appointed by the President to serve as Director of ACTION, where he founded the Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program. ACTION is now known as AmeriCorps. Mr. Pauken also was instrumental in the implementation of First Lady Nancy Reagan's “Just Say No to Drugs” campaign.
Commissioner Pauken is a United States Army veteran. He received a commission in Military Intelligence and served in Vietnam as a Province Intelligence Officer and as a senior analyst for the Office of Strategic Research Analysis.
Founder and President of Dallas-based TWP Inc. Mr. Pauken also has served as a board member of various public and private companies. He is a member of the State Bar of Texas, the Knights of Columbus and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Commissioner Pauken is the author of two books: “The Thirty Years War: The Politics of the Sixties Generation” and his new book entitled “Bringing America Home.” He holds a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University and a law degree from Southern Methodist University.
He and his wife, the former Ida Ayala, have seven children and 12 grandchildren.