Farewell to Ann Bishop: Celebrating Her Legacy at TPEA

It is with a mixture of heartfelt gratitude and sincere admiration that we bid farewell to our Executive Director, Ann Bishop. Ann will be stepping down as Executive Director of the Texas Public Employees Association (TPEA) at the end of the session. While we are saddened to see her go, we celebrate the remarkable legacy she leaves behind.

Prior to TPEA, Ann held various roles within the Texas state government. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and Texas Tech University School of Law, Ann served as Deputy Comptroller of Public Accounts (CPA) before becoming the first executive director of the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR). In 2004, the Employees Retirement System (ERS) of Texas selected Ann to lead the agency as its executive director. Apart from a brief period as Chief of Staff to former Governor Rick Perry, Ann served at ERS with distinction until her retirement from the agency in 2015.

Ann joined TPEA with a vision rooted in advocacy, transparency, and service to those who serve Texas. Her leadership has been defined by tireless dedication and an unwavering commitment to the public employees of our great state. Under her guidance, TPEA has strengthened its voice at the Capitol and deepened its impact on policy decisions that directly affect state employees and retirees. Ann has been a fierce advocate for public employees and worked tirelessly to build a strong foundation for TPEA to be successful for another 80 years.

Among her many accomplishments, Ann led efforts that resulted in significant legislative wins — ensuring that the interests of state workers were not just heard but respected:

• During the 88th Legislative session in 2023, Ann worked with the Legislature to help secure two 5% salary increases for more than 140,000 state employees representing every region of Texas. Texas provided $1.8 billion for these raises, the most significant raises in decades, and the first time since 2014 that the Legislature granted an across-the-board statewide pay raise.
• Ann provided testimony at more than 50 hearings, which led to targeted pay raises for specific agencies or job classifications, with some increases exceeding 11%.
• In the 88th Legislative session in 2023, Ann worked with ERS and the Legislature to provide several billion dollars in new funding to ensure the financial stability of the ERS Trust Fund.  This additional investment enabled the agency to offer a modest Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) in January 2025 for those retired 20 years or more. Ann was instrumental in securing this mandate in 2013, without which it would not have been established.
• Leveraging her expertise in ERS, Ann has effectively testified to maintain the stability and integrity of healthcare insurance.
• Under Ann's leadership, TPEA successfully facilitated the passage of several legislative measures aimed at enhancing the work environments of state employees, including improvements in TDCJ working conditions, the enactment of a paid parental leave bill, the protection of remote work arrangements, among many others.

She continues to advocate to ensure that state employees and retirees receive the respect and appropriate compensation they deserve for their service, recognizing that state employees often remain unheard. This is one of the reasons Ann encourages state employees and retirees to engage with Legislators and TPEA. This year alone, more than 2,900 activities of Legislative engagement occurred using TPEA’s Advocacy Action Center and more than 700 emails were sent to TPEA from members. We recognize that many more interactions also took place via phone calls.

Ann’s ability to build bipartisan relationships and foster collaboration across agencies has elevated TPEA’s stature as a trusted advocate in state government. Ann's approach serves as the inspiration for the 'Your Friend at the Capitol' campaign.

Perhaps most notably, Ann brought heart to everything she did. Her integrity, compassion, and genuine care set the tone for a culture of respect and empowerment. She has not only led this organization — she has inspired it.

In addition to her policy achievements, Ann revitalized the internal structure of TPEA, enhancing organizational efficiency with updated bylaws and member engagement. She helped implement forward-thinking strategies to help prepare the association for a changing landscape, ensuring its resilience and relevance for years to come. The CEO of Blue Sky Partners will be stepping in as the interim executive director to help support the vision while the board works to hire our next permanent executive director.

As she embarks on her next chapter (retirement), we extend our deepest thanks to Ann for her outstanding service and leadership. Her contributions will be felt for generations, and her presence will be sorely missed.

On behalf of the entire TPEA family, we extend her all the best in her future endeavors.

With great respect and appreciation,

TPEA