TCTA Structure & Staff

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TCTA General Structure

The TCTA Advisory Council is composed of the following:

• A 10-member TCTA Board of Directors composed of statewide elected leaders:
  • TCTA president, president-elect, immediate past-president (one-year term in each office); and,
  • TCTA statewide directors elected to two-year terms for the following areas: budget, curriculum and instruction, governance, legislation, membership, professional rights & responsibilities, and teacher personal services. (The TCTA president-elect serves as director for communications/public relations , and the immediate past-president is director for student issues.)
• TCTA Advisory Council members elected by individual districts for two-year terms. TCTA is broken into 20 districts, following the same lines used by TEA for Regional Education Service Centers. Also, TCTA councilmembers-at-large are elected to one-year terms, as needed, to ensure minority representation on the Advisory Council.

See a list of TCTA’s current leadership.

TCTA Headquarters Staff

A professional team of TCTA staff members is available to provide information or assist members with their questions or problems, including employment-related legal information, legislation questions, professional development, and community/public relations information. TCTA departments and staff contacts include the following:

Executive Director

TCTA executive director Ann Fickel started her career with TCTA in 1990 as a member of the lobby team. She became executive director on July 1, 2022.

Attorneys

TCTA is proud to have more staff attorneys per member than the other teacher associations. Staff attorneys are available to members, toll-free and at no additional charge, to discuss employment-related legal problems/questions and for representation, when appropriate.

TCTA also maintains a $250,000 Teacher Defense Fund to hire attorneys when we determine that a member's case is more appropriately handled by outside counsel. TCTA retains almost 70 attorneys throughout the state to use when local counsel is needed. The combination of TCTA staff attorneys and the Teacher Defense Fund allows us to appeal meritorious cases without preset funding limits.

TCTA staff attorneys, led by general counsel Lonnie Hollingsworth, are widely recognized as experts in both successful teacher legal representation and in legislative and educational policy influence at the state level.

Business Office

The TCTA Business Office supports the financial needs of the organization. In addition to paying bills, providing financial statements and maintaining the budget, this department monitors tax legislation that could affect the association. The director of accounting is Park Brigtsen, who joined the TCTA staff in 2017.

Communications Department

TCTA members receive communications that help keep them up-to-date on important education-related issues. This department produces an award-winning quarterly magazine, the eUpdate email newsletter and other communications. The department also maintains this website, is the point of contact for the media, and directs other TCTA communications efforts. The director of publications is M. Clare Haefner, who joined TCTA in 2015.

Legislative Services

TCTA’s lobby team ranks highest among Texas teacher groups according to the Capitol Inside 2021 Texas Lobby Power Rankings. Since 2004, TCTA has made the list of top 10 public sector lobby groups as the most successful teacher association team. This is because the TCTA legislative team has consistently proven effective, and during legislative sessions, it is not uncommon for key state lawmakers to turn to TCTA for assistance with the wording of bills or for expertise on education issues. TCTA’s legislative staff at headquarters is directed by Paige Williams, director of legislation, who joined TCTA in 2008.

Membership Department

The Membership Department actively recruits new TCTA members, assists current members and provides TCTA local affiliates with needed information and support. The director of membership is Persie Tynes, who joined TCTA in 2008.

Professional Development and Advocacy

The Department of Professional Development and Advocacy monitors and works with many state boards and agencies and is a strong advocate for TCTA member interests. The department is involved with state- and federal-level policy initiatives; is a research resource to the Association; handles inquiries regarding such topics as certification, curriculum, assessment and special education; and assists TCTA in the area of professional development. The director of professional development and advocacy is Holly Eaton, who has been with TCTA since 1996.

Services Corporation

The TCTA Services Corporation is a separate, solely owned corporation that administers TCTA member benefit services and programs. Through the Corporation, TCTA members have access to professional liability insurance as well as numerous discounts and programs to save time and money. The liaison for the Services Corporation is Jan Lanfear, who has been with TCTA since 1971. Find additional information on TCTA member benefits, discounts and services.