Tom Pauken
Chairman
2008-Present

Tom Pauken is Chairman of the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC), where he has served since being appointed by Governor Rick Perry in March 2008.

Chairman Pauken brings years 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.

Chairman 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. Chairman 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.

Chairman Pauken is the author of the book, The Thirty Years War: The Politics of the Sixties Generation. 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 11 grandchildren.

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Ronald G. Congleton
Commissioner Representing Labor
2003-Present

Ronald G. Congleton is Commissioner Representing Labor for the Texas Workforce Commission. Governor Rick Perry appointed him to the three-member Commission in October 2003. Governor Perry reappointed him on February 10, 2005. His Commission appointment expires February 1, 2011.

Nearly 35 years of experience in negotiations and commitment to representing working Texans give Commissioner Ronald G. Congleton a strong background for his new role.

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. 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. 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, 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

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Andres Alcantar
Commissioner Representing the Public
2008-Present

Andres Alcantar is the Commissioner Representing the Public for the Texas Workforce Commission. Governor Rick Perry appointed him to the three-member Commission in August 2008. His Commission appointment expires February 1, 2013.

Alcantar most recently served as deputy director of the governor's Budget, Planning and Policy division, which advises the Governor on federal, state and local issues and provides executive oversight to state boards and commissions. His focus included workforce, business and economic development, competitiveness, and public and higher education issues. He also served as the office's liaison to the Texas Workforce Commission and several other state agencies.

He was previously an advisor in Governor George W. Bush's Office of Budget and Planning on workforce and health and human service issues, and a director for the state Health and Human Services Commission.

Alcantar received a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in public administration from Texas Tech University.