The Texas Workforce Commission has tapped veteran state tech and policy hand Steve Pier as its next executive director, the agency announced this week. Pier will take over on Feb. 2 after a run at the Texas Department of Information Resources, where he served as deputy executive director and the state's deputy chief information officer.
In a press release, the three Texas Workforce commissioners, Chairman Joe Esparza, Commissioner Representing Labor Alberto Treviño III, and Commissioner Representing the Public Brent Connett, announced Pier's hire, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. Pier said in the announcement, "I deeply appreciate Governor Greg Abbott and the TWC commissioners giving me the opportunity to lead an agency that is vital to our state’s economy and Texans’ livelihoods." The commission said he will officially step into the role on Feb. 2.
At the Department of Information Resources, Pier had an annual salary of about $265,000 after receiving a roughly 7% raise last year. He succeeds Ed Serna, who led the commission from August 2019 until his retirement in October. Serna's pay was $220,544, and the agency employs more than 4,600 people with a median salary of $55,140, as reported by the San Antonio Express-News.
Statewide tech experience and a return to workforce work
Pier joined DIR in 2019 and oversaw functions including media and government relations, agency risk and compliance, data governance, project management, and customer experience operations, the announcement says. He previously led government relations offices at the Texas Attorney General's Office and at TWC, served as a chief of staff in the Texas House of Representatives, and worked on several political campaigns, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.
What the agency does and why leadership matters
The Texas Workforce Commission, created by the Legislature in 1995, administers unemployment insurance, workforce training, and employer partnerships across the state. Those operations affect how job training and benefits are delivered to employers and jobseekers statewide, the San Antonio Express-News notes.
Part of a wider leadership shuffle
Pier's hire arrives amid other recent moves at state agencies. Gov. Greg Abbott tapped Amanda Crawford, DIR's executive director, to serve as Texas' insurance commissioner, according to Insurance Business. DIR has named Tony Sauerhoff as interim executive director and interim state chief information officer while the department handles the transition, GovTech reported.
Pier's tech-forward background positions him to push data-driven changes at TWC as the agency rolls out new training programs and manages unemployment benefits in a shifting labor market. Observers will be watching whether his experience with technology, procurement, and compliance changes how TWC approaches program integrity, employer partnerships, and AI-enabled workforce tools.
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