Chairmanship of Texas Workforce Commission
Pauken served as chairman of Texas Workforce Commission from March 2008 through April 2012. Upon the completion of his tenure as chairman, Pauken remained at TWC as the commissioner representing employers. During his tenure he established the Texas Veterans Leadership Program (TVLP). TVLP is led and staffed by veterans of the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan and provides outreach to returning veterans from those wars aimed at helping the veterans to find employment. As of March 2012, about eight thousand returning veterans have received assistance from the program.
Pauken also initiated the creation of the Texas Back to Work program, which offers an incentive of up to $2,000 to employers for hiring qualified out-of-work Texans who lost their job through no fault of their own. More than 25,000 workers have obtained jobs through the program, which received the Unemployment Insurance Innovation Award for Reemployment in October 2010.
From the start of his tenure as chairman, Pauken has been a vocal advocate of the need to rebuild the American manufacturing industry and to place greater emphasis on the skilled trades, especially at the secondary school level.
Pauken announced his retirement from TWC effective March 1, 2013.
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