Texas Public Employees Association

What Texas Public Employees Association does

Texas Public Employees Association (TPEA) is a Texas-based, non-union, non-partisan, not-for-profit membership advocacy organization founded in 1946 to represent State of Texas employees and retirees before the Texas Legislature. The organization is headquartered in Austin, TX and serves active state employees across roughly 160 state agencies (including TxDOT, TDCJ, TEA, HHSC, TDI, ERS, TCEQ, DFPS, OAG, and others), as well as ERS retirees and a smaller associate-member tier of former state employees, ISD/district/county workers. Its core product is a subscription membership — $10/month for active employees and associates, $4/month for retirees — that funds professional legislative lobbying, legislative tracking (over 90 bills monitored in the 89th Legislative Session), grassroots mobilization at agency events, and member communications including a quarterly newsletter and monthly Member Mails. TPEA also operates EMPACT (Employees Political Action Council of Texas), a wholly-owned political action committee through which members make voluntary political contributions to support candidates favoring state-employee interests; by law, dues dollars cannot be used for political donations, so EMPACT serves as a separate funding channel.

TPEA's technology stack is conventional and non-proprietary: HubSpot CMS/CRM for website, email, and membership management; RightSignature/Zoho Sign for digital forms; Zoom and GoToWebinar for virtual meetings and webinars; and BetterUnite for event registration. There is no disclosed AI, machine learning, or proprietary platform component. Revenue mechanics are entirely membership-dues based (recurring subscription model) plus voluntary EMPACT contributions; dues are collected via payroll deduction, ERS annuity deduction, credit card, or bank draft. The go-to-market combines direct outreach at state agency events (TxDOT wellness fairs, ERS enrollment fairs, safety banquets, EWTG conferences), email/digital marketing, social media (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram), and word-of-mouth referrals from existing members. TPEA reports attending over 50 legislative hearings per session and supporting wins including two consecutive 5% pay raises in 2023, SB 222 paid parental leave, and HB 5196 telework legislation signed in 2025.

The organization is member-governed through an elected Board of Directors (three-year terms, no compensation) and is led by Executive Director Elke Gonzalez (announced October 2025, succeeding Ann Bishop). TPEA has no parent company, no subsidiaries other than EMPACT, and operates exclusively within Texas. Membership dues are not tax-deductible as charitable contributions, and bylaws explicitly prohibit union affiliation.

Name

Texas Public Employees Association

Legal name

Texas Public Employees Association

Website

https://tpea.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Texas Public Employees Association is a non-union, non-partisan, not-for-profit advocacy membership organization founded in 1946 that represents State of Texas employees and ERS retirees before the Texas Legislature through lobbying, legislative tracking, and member communications, funded primarily by recurring monthly membership dues.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: TPEA's primary revenue source is monthly membership dues. Active state employees and associate members pay $10/month ($120/year), while retired members pay $4/month ($48/year). Dues are collected via payroll deduction, credit card, bank draft, or ERS annuity deduction. All dues dollars stay in Texas and fund legislative advocacy, communications, and ancillary benefit programs.
2. EMPACT Political Action Committee Donations: EMPACT, TPEA's political action committee, accepts voluntary donations from members. TPEA cannot use membership dues for political donations, so EMPACT donations allow members to support political campaigns that benefit state employees. Donations are not tax-deductible and are used for political purposes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

TPEA provides legislative advocacy at the Texas Capitol on behalf of state employees and retirees, focusing on pension security, health benefits, and workforce issues. It sells membership in active, retiree, and associate tiers and bundles that membership with a benefits and discounts marketplace. The association is governed by its members and operates the EMPACT political action committee to support candidates aligned with its advocacy goals.

Product overview

The Texas Public Employees Association (TPEA) offers a membership-based advocacy platform centered on its core membership programs (Active, Retired, and Associate tiers) that provide legislative representation at the Texas Capitol for state employees and retirees. The organization complements its advocacy services with EMPACT, its political action committee enabling member political contributions, and a member benefits and discounts program. Additional services include email newsletters for legislative updates and a democratic Board of Directors election process. TPEA functions as a nonprofit association rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Active Member Membership Annual or monthly dues-paying membership for current Texas state employees that provides legislative advocacy services, voting rights in board and policy decisions, and access to the member benefits and discounts marketplace. Enrollment is supported by state-agency payroll deduction.
• Retired Member Membership Annual or monthly dues-paying membership for retired Texas state employees drawing an Employees Retirement System (ERS) annuity. Provides continued legislative advocacy on pension and health benefits issues, with ERS annuity deduction available for payment.
• Associate Member Membership Annual or monthly dues-paying membership for individuals who support TPEA's advocacy mission but are not current or retired Texas state employees. Provides access to the member benefits and discounts marketplace.
• Legislative Advocacy Services Non-union, non-partisan representation of TPEA members before the Texas Legislature on issues including pension security, health benefits, pay, and workforce policy. Delivered by TPEA's advocacy team at the Capitol on behalf of dues-paying members.
• EMPACT Political Action Committee PAC affiliated with TPEA that supports Texas legislative candidates aligned with the association's advocacy priorities on state-employee and retiree issues.
• Member Benefits and Discounts Program Marketplace of discounts and benefits available to TPEA members across all membership tiers, providing everyday savings as part of the value of joining the association.

Quantifiable outcome

• TPEA secured two consecutive 5% pay raises for classified non-higher education state employees in the 88th Legislative Session (2023)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• DPSOA (Department of Public Safety Officers Association)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerTPEA co-hosts the annual State Employees Recognition Week / Appreciation Event with DPSOA. Both organizations jointly sponsor the event, sharing organizational resources and attendee engagement. The event features photos, gift card giveaways, and appreciation activities for state employees and retirees. This partnership amplifies outreach to state employees beyond TPEA's own membership base.

Scale indicators5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• AARP: AARP is the largest US membership organization advocating for older Americans, including retirees. TPEA's retiree segment overlaps with AARP's mission around pension protection, healthcare affordability, and advocacy for retirees.
• National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU): NTEU represents federal employees in agencies analogous to Texas state agencies. While union-affiliated, NTEU competes for the same advocacy-representation value proposition that TPEA offers to Texas state employees.
• CalPERS (California Public Employees' Retirement System): CalPERS administers pension and health benefits for California public employees — a comparable scale beneficiary pool — though it is a state agency itself rather than a membership advocacy organization like TPEA.
• AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees): AFSCME is the largest labor union representing public sector employees in the US. While TPEA is non-union, AFSCME represents the same target population (state and local public employees) with comparable legislative advocacy and benefit offerings.

Regional players

• Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA): TRTA is a Texas-based membership advocacy organization for retired public educators — a state-level peer to TPEA in geography and mission, though narrower to the education retiree segment.
• ASEA/AFL-CIO (Alaska State Employees Association): ASEA is a state-level public employee advocacy organization in Alaska, directly comparable to TPEA in mission and operating model, though organized as a labor union affiliate rather than non-union.
• Texas State Teachers Association (TSTA): TSTA is a comparable Texas-based public employee advocacy and membership organization for educators, sharing TPEA's state-government focus, dues-funded model, and Capitol advocacy work, though serving a narrower education segment.

Direct peers

• Government Employees Benefit Association (GEBA): GEBA provides insurance and benefit products to federal and public employees — closely comparable to TPEA's member benefits and discount program serving the same target audience.
• National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE): NARFE is a direct peer to TPEA in mission and structure: a membership-based advocacy organization representing federal (vs. Texas state) employees and retirees before Congress, with comparable dues, benefits, and legislative advocacy focus.
• CSEA (California State Employees Association): CSEA is a direct peer organization to TPEA in another state: a membership association advocating for state employee salaries, pensions, and benefits before the California Legislature, with very similar dues-funded, advocacy-driven model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubetpea.org/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/tpea.org
• Xx.com/TPEA_Updates
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/texas-public-employees-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Texas Public Employees Association