AUSTIN— Today, the Texas Public Policy Foundation announced former Texas State Representative Ron Simmons has joined the Foundation as a distinguished senior fellow. Simmons will head up Right on Work, a new initiative of the foundation to ensure workers develop the skills needed to attain quality jobs and to encourage the private sector to lead in building job-training programs.
“Ron Simmons has a strong record of supporting the Texas Model to keep our state prosperous, competitive, and free,” said Kevin Roberts, Ph.D., executive director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation. “We are thrilled to have Ron head up our new Right on Work initiative to ensure Texas and the country maintain an edge in worker training, innovation, and job creation.”
Right on Work aims to build a coalition of companies, organizations, and individuals working together to meet the needs of the 21st century workforce through career and technical education opportunities, innovative and targeted workforce programs, and reforms to ineffective and burdensome employment regulations.
“Real, substantive transformation begins at the top,” said Simmons. “The Texas Public Policy Foundation has a unique role and obligation as conservative leaders to forge the way on workforce development. I am honored to be a part of this new initiative.”
During his three terms in office, Simmons served as chairman of the Subcommittee on Long-term Infrastructure Planning, chairman of the Republican House Caucus Policy Committee and vice chairman of the Committee on Business and Industry. He also authored and passed into law several pieces of key legislation relating to First Amendment rights, protections for the disabled, and prioritization of transportation funding. Governor Abbott appointed Simmons to serve as Commissioner on the Education of the States Commission in 2017 and 2018. Simmons was recently appointed by the Governor to serve as a member of the Board of Directors of Texas Mutual Insurance Company.
Simmons is the son of two public school teachers. He and his wife of 39 years, Lisa, have three adult children and two grandsons. Ron is a distinguished alumnus of Dallas Baptist University and the co-founder and Chairman of Retirement Advisors of America.