Workforce Solutions Texoma Workforce Board
The Texoma Workforce Development Board is a volunteer board. Board members oversee the delivery of employment and training programs in the Texoma Workforce Development Area. Comprised of Cooke, Fannin and Grayson Counties, the Texoma Workforce Development Area covers 2,700 square miles and is home to approximately 200,000 people.
Operating under the name Workforce Solutions Texoma, the Texoma Workforce Development Board and its contractors operate three Workforce Centers in each of the three counties.
Texoma is business-led and community-focused. With our volunteer Workforce Board Members that represent private sector business, education, organized labor, and community-based organizations and our Chief-elected officials, the Board sets the strategic direction for the Regional Workforce system and guides the area’s workforce agenda. We also partner with economic development, chambers of commerce, business, education, civic organizations, and other community partners to create strategies to promote success for workforce endeavors in the Texoma region.
Workforce Board History
Workforce Development Boards are responsible for the administration of employment and training 
programs in Texas, including the planning, oversight, evaluation and monitoring functions necessary to ensure the delivery of quality services.
The system of workforce development boards in Texas is a result of the Texas Legislature enacting House Bill 1863 that became effective September 1, 1995. In an effort to improve the quality and skill levels of the workforce in Texas and better meet the needs of employers in the state, this legislation has created a system for delivering employment and training services to the public, including employers, job seekers and students. The Texoma Workforce Development Board d/b/a Workforce Solutions Texoma was founded in October, 1996 and is one of 28 Boards in the state of Texas.
Through the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998, federal legislation changed the image of workforce programs throughout the United States and promoted the implementation of the Texas model throughout the country. On July 22, 2014, subsequent federal legislation titled Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) was signed into law that continued the Workforce Board model. All Workforce Boards in the United States now operate under WIOA guidance. Primary tenants of the Workforce Boards model include:
Consolidation + Decentralization = Local Control Privatization = Innovation and Accountability Local Control + Innovation + Accountability = Better Workforce System |
Under the guidance of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), Workforce Solutions Texoma works with all key partners to ensure services are presented in a seamless manner to both employers and job seekers. Key partners include:
- Grayson College’s Adult Basic Education and Literacy Program which provides services in both the Denison and Gainesville Workforce Centers.
- The Texas Workforce Commission’s Vocational Rehabilitation Services which provides staff to work with customers with disabilities in all three of Texoma Workforce Centers.
- The Texas Workforce Commission’s Wagner-Peyser Act Employment Services Staff which primarily work with employers and job seekers and are housed in the Denison Workforce Center
Key programs/contracts for the Texoma Board include:
- Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Programs
- WIOA Adult
- WIO Dislocated Worker
- WIOA Youth
- Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA)
- Rapid Response (Company layoff assistance)
- Child Care Services (CCS)
- Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)/Choices
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Employment & Training (SNAP E&T)
Chief Elected Officials
The Chief Elected Officials (CEO’s) appoint board members and provide limited oversight.
By law, the CEO’s include:
- County Judges of each county
- Mayor of the largest city
CEO’s provide governance with a written Partnership Agreement which defines the authority, roles, and responsibilities of the Board and Chief Elected Officials.
Name | Mailing Address |
The Honorable John Roane | Cooke County Courthouse |
The Honorable Newt Cunningham | Fannin County Courthouse |
The Honorable Bruce Dawsey | Grayson County Courthouse |
The Honorable | City of Sherman Mayor |
Board Members
The Texoma Board is comprised of members representative of the Texoma area, 51% of whom represent private sector employers. The membership is apportioned by county population and has five at-large members. Public sector members include representatives from educational institutions, community based organizations, public employment, rehabilitation and labor. Board members are appointed by the Chief Elected Officials of the Texoma Workforce Development Area. Those officials are the county judges from Cooke, Grayson and Fannin Counties and the mayor of the largest city (Sherman). Board member nominations are submitted to the Texas Workforce Commission for final approval.
Each Workforce Board has a Board of Directors that perform the vital process of providing strategic guidance and policy governance. Other Board member duties include:
- Hiring and evaluation of the Executive Director
- Reviewing and approving the budget and annual audit
- Voting on certain key contracts, unemployment insurance work search requirements and other vital activities of the board
- To vote and approve certain key contracts: workforce center operators, child care providers
- Serve as engaged and responsible fiduciaries and representatives of the workforce system
Workforce Board members are appointed by the Chief Elected Officials. Board members are comprised of individuals who:
- live or work in the Texoma area (Cooke, Fannin or Grayson Counties)
- represent the ethnic and geographic diversity of Texoma
- represent private sector businesses – at least 51% or more of the Board members
- represent other category types – remaining percentage:
- Community based organizations (CBO’s) and organized labor
- Education
- Public employment service -Texas Workforce Commission
- Vocational Rehabilitation
- Economic Development
- Local Literacy Councils
- Adult basic and continuing Education
- At least one Board member must be
- A military veteran
- Have child care/early childhood education experience
The Board Chair must be from the private sector.
| Current Workforce Solutions Texoma’s Board Members | |||
| Mark Anderson | Private Sector | Kathryn Hicks | Private Sector |
| Alvin Bailey | Literacy | Debbie Huffman | Education |
| Paula Price | Vocational Rehabilitation | Obie Greenleaf | Community-Based Organization |
| Mike DeLong | Private Sector | Delinda Lough | Private Sector |
| Star Brock | Private Sector | Jeremy McMillen | Education |
| Brad Douglass | Private Sector | Carlos Medina | Private Sector |
| Amy Doyle | Private Sector | Todd Morrison | Education |
| Judy James | Private Sector | Dillon Ott | Private Sector |
| Mark Ewig | Labor | Renee Conner | Private Sector |
| Terrence Steele | Community-Based Organization | Crystal Sanders | Public Employment Service |
| Rebeckah Flanagan | Private Sector | Stephen Proia | Private Sector |
| Todd Morrison | Education | Julie Rickey | Community-Based Organization |
| Kimberlea Donohoe-Miller | Community-Based Organization | Cody Copeland | Private Sector |
| Allison Minton | Community-Based Organization | Janet Ventura | Private Sector |
| Janet Gott | Ex-Offico | Stefanie Webb | Private Sector |
| Kathryn Hermes | Child Care Workforce | ||
Board Staff
Executive Director
Workforce Solutions Texoma’s Executive Director oversees the day-to-day administration of the Board Staff and serves as the lead contracting officer for the Board. She also serves as the direct link between the Chief Elected Officials (CEOs), Board of Directors and the Texas Workforce Commission.
Other Board staff assist in the operations of all Workforce Solutions Texoma functions, including the areas of
- Finance
- Procurement
- Oversight and Administration
- Compliance Monitoring
- Information Technology Resources
- Program-Specific Expertise
- Strategic Plan Development and Oversight
- Systems Management
The design for service delivery in Texoma includes an integrated system of One-Stop Workforce Centers. Workforce Centers are located in Bonham, Denison and Gainesville to provide the direct services to customers.
The Board’s (administrative) offices are located at 2415 S. Austin, Suite 107 in Denison. No client services are provided at this location. The Board contracts with a private service provider to operate Texoma’s Workforce Centers.
For more information about the Texoma Workforce Development Board, d/b/a Workforce Solutions Texoma, contact the administrative office at:
Workforce Solutions Texoma
2415 S. Austin Avenue, Suite 107
Denison, TX 75020
Phone: 903.957.7408
Fax: 903-957-7413