Back to Archives
59th Annual Meeting: “Celebration of State Employees”
Everyone loves a party, and the celebration is doubly enjoyable if you’re the guest of honor. Well, the party will be part of this year’s Texas Public Employees Association 59th Annual meeting June 25-27 in Austin and you, or one of the 240,000 other state employees, could find yourself the center of attention.
The theme is “Celebration of State Employees” and the event promises to mix business with fun, and to offer a little more than in past years.
“It is time Texas’ state employees receive proper recognition for the benefits their hard work provides Texas, and TPEA is taking a leadership role in getting that word to the public and our state’s decision-makers,” said TPEA Executive Director Gary Anderson.
“We took the first step by instituting a regular feature in our Texas Public Employee magazine that highlights the positive contributions of individual state employees. Now, we are seeking nominations from throughout the state workforce for ‘Unsung Heroes.’ We plan to honor about a dozen of these individuals at the Annual Meeting’s noon luncheon on Saturday, June 26. Gov. Perry has been invited to deliver the keynote address at this special event,” Anderson said.
All state employees are eligible to be nominated as an Unsung Hero, and you do not have to be a TPEA member.
Keeping with the celebration theme, TPEA is throwing a party for all state employees beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday at Scholz’s. Your state ID earns you admission to the music, snacks and beer, and, again, TPEA membership is not required. The party is TPEA’s way of congratulating state workers for the job you do.
On Friday night the celebration turns gastronomical with the Omni Hotel’s “Salute to Celebrity Chefs.” The culinary skills of the Omni’s top-notch chefs will be on display at this event. Bring your taste buds.
TPEA’s Annual Meeting Planning Committee is meeting regularly to put together an event that is both valuable to you from a professional standpoint and that is also entertaining.
Chairman Sylvia McPherson, Texas Workforce Commission; Vice Chairman Brenda Nichols, TWC; Julia Johnson, TPEA state secretary; Sharon Little, Texas Department of Transportation; Jan Thomas, TWC; and Jim Zukowski, Texas Department of Health; have developed a few news twists to expand the Meeting’s appeal to a wider range of state employees. The most significant development is structuring breakout sessions that qualify for Continuing Education Units. At press time, CEU accreditation is pending. More on this in coming months.
One session you will not want to miss is Bryan state Sen. Steven Ogden’s keynote address that opens the Meeting on Friday, June 25. As the new chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Chairman’s Ogden’s comments on state government finances will be of special interest to TPEA members.
TPEA’s 2004 Annual Meeting: a trip to Austin, special celebrations, Unsung Heroes, and professional development. Don’t miss out, call the Omni Austin Downtown Hotel today at 512-476-3700 to reserve your room. See you in June.