Executive Staff

Ed Serna
Phone: 512-305-9636
Contact the Executive Director

Mr. Ed Serna is the executive director of the Texas Workforce Commission. He is charged with day-to-day operations of the agency including implementation of policies set by the commission.

Randy Townsend
Phone: 512-463-2698
Contact the Deputy Executive Director

Mr. Randy Townsend assists the Executive Director with the day-to-day operations of the agency. His role includes implementation of policies set by the three-member Commission. Mr. Townsend also provides direction and support for the following TWC divisions:

• Business Operations
• Civil Rights
• Customer Care
• Finance
• Fraud Deterrence & Compliance Monitoring

Eric Holen, Division Director
Phone: 512-463-7234
Contact Unemployment Insurance

The Unemployment Insurance (UI) Division administers the unemployment insurance program, which is funded through employer taxes. Unemployment insurance provides temporary partial income replacement to eligible individuals who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. The UI Division also collects wage information and unemployment taxes from employers subject to the Texas Unemployment Compensation Act (TUCA). The UI Division oversees:

• Taking, investigating, and processing unemployment claims
• Paying unemployment benefits to qualified claimants
• Collecting wage information and unemployment taxes from employers
• Assisting employers with understanding and complying with the tax portions of the Texas Labor Code 

Mary York, Division Director
Phone: 512-463-9509
Contact Workforce Development

The Workforce Development Division provides oversight, coordination, technical assistance, and implementation of employment and training activities across Texas, with a focus on meeting the needs of the state’s current and future employers. In addition, the division:

• Supports work conducted in local workforce development areas
• Provides assistance to Workforce Development Boards to achieve performance goals
• Engages employers, communities, and economic development partners on workforce development
• Provides oversight of Adult Education and Literacy services
• Evaluates education and training providers
• Promotes and develops partnerships with other agencies and institutions

Tammy Martin, Division Director
Phone: 512-936-3701
Contact Vocational Rehabilitation

Tammy Martin currently serves as the Director of the Vocational Rehabilitation Division. The Division includes four programs: Vocational Rehabilitation, Independent Living Services for Older Individuals who are Blind, Business Enterprises of Texas, and Purchasing from People with Disabilities. Departments under Tammy’s direction include:

• Field Services Delivery, including the Criss Cole Rehabilitation Center
• Program Policy and Support, including the Office of Blind Services Support
• VR Program Operations
• Office of Disability Employment Strategies

Tom McCarty, Division Director
Phone: 512-936-2346
Contact Customer Care Division

The Customer Care Division is a new division established to plan and implement a coordinated customer management system across the workforce commission to provide the highest customer service experience.

Reagan Miller, Division Director
Phone: 512-936-3563
Contact Child Care & Early Learning

The Child Care & Early Learning Division oversees services funded by the federal Child Care and Development Block Grant. TWC and the state’s 28 Local Workforce Development Boards (Boards) are responsible for the administration of child care subsidy assistance to support eligible families. CC&EL also oversee the state’s quality rating improvement system for subsidy child care providers - Texas Rising Star. This voluntary system recognizes child care programs who achieve higher quality standards.

Heather Hall, Division Director
Phone: 737-263-2005
Contact Information Technology

The Information Technology Division is responsible for the agency's technology infrastructure, including:

• Project management
• Information technology operations
• Applications development and maintenance

Jennifer K. Colehower, Division Director
Phone: 512-463-7997
Contact Information Innovation & Insight

Information Innovation & Insight is responsible for helping TWC, its partners, and other economic-education-workforce development stakeholders leverage data to better meet the needs of employers, individuals, families, and communities in Texas.

I|3 provides data analysis services for external stakeholders, partners, and TWC's business operations related to:

• Labor Market Information
• Operational Effectiveness
• Evidence-based practices to help TWC and its partners improve customer outcomes

Ashley Sagebiel, Director
Phone: 512-463-8024
Contact Internal Audits

Internal Audit is an independent, objective assurance and consulting activity designed to add value and improve operations. The role of Internal Audit is:

• To help the agency achieve its objectives
• To improve the effectiveness of risk management, control and governance processes
   

Bryan D Snoddy, Division Director
Phone: 512-463-4432
Contact Civil Rights

The Civil Rights Division (CRD) enforces the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act (Texas Labor Code, Chapter 21) and the Texas Fair Housing Act (Texas Property Code, Chapter 301). The Texas Commission on Human Rights Act prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability and retaliation. The Texas Fair Housing Act prohibits housing discrimination based race, color, religion, sex, national origin, mental or physical disability, familial status and retaliation. The CRD conducts the following activities:

• Review of personnel policies and procedural systems of state agencies and institutions of higher education
• Reporting of equal employment opportunity statistics
• Equal employment opportunity training of state agencies, institutions of higher education, and other public and private employers
• Enforcement of fair employment laws
• Enforcement of fair housing laws

Chuck Ross, Division Director
Phone: 512-463-1875
Contact FDCM

The Division of Fraud Deterrence and Compliance Monitoring is charged with directing Agency efforts in the prevention, detection and elimination of fraud, waste, and abuse in all TWC programs. The division enforces all regulatory provisions within the statutes under the Agency’s jurisdiction. Those include the Texas Unemployment Compensation Act, the Texas Payday Law, the State’s Child Labor Law, and provisions of the Texas Education Code governing Career Schools and Colleges.

Division responsibilities also include compliance monitoring related to the appropriate use of more than $1 billion in granted Federal and State funds to subrecipients (Local Workforce Development Boards; Adult Education and Literacy grantees, etc.) and contracted funds to service providers under the Vocational Rehabilitation program.

Lowell A. Keig, Division Director
Phone: 737-667-5904
For employment verifications call 1-844-356-6947.
Contact Business Operations

The Business Operations Division is responsible for the following internal services:

• Conference Planning and Meeting Services
• Cybersecurity
• Document Services
• Human Resources
• Infrastructure Services
• Procurement and Contract Services
• Risk and Security Management
• Training and Development

Les Trobman
Phone: 512-475-4221
Contact General Counsel

The General Counsel is responsible for providing legal advice and support to the agency.

Responsibilities encompassed include:

• Coordinating litigation
• Reviewing contracts
• Responding to civil rights charges
• Advising on open government issues