Amarillo Gazette

Commission on State Emergency Communication paid an average compensation of $80,192 during 2020, this was more than the public employee average of $51,794, according to data compiled by The Texas Tribune.

The highest-paid public employee in Texas was Brian Guthrie, who earned $754,275 as the executive director at the Teacher Retirement System.

The national median hourly wage is $19.14 according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to the OECD, the average yearly wage in the US is more than $60,000.

When calculating average compensation, only employees categorized as full-time were included.

Rank	Employee	Amount Earned
1	Melissa Merriweather	$132,835
2	Patrick Tyler	$128,562
3	Susan Seet	$124,714
4	Mia Villarreal	$112,000
5	Robert Cadenhead	$93,403
6	Lorrain Meek	$90,000
6	Alfred Turner	$90,000
8	Heather Barnes	$80,000
8	Monica Watt	$80,000
10	Roberto Gonzalez	$78,500
11	Kevin Rohrer	$74,988
12	Jacqueline Doan	$72,000
12	Johnnie Johnson	$72,000
14	Kelley Williams	$68,034
15	Melinda Crockom	$60,000
15	James Johnson	$60,000
15	Grace Milam	$60,000
15	Jessyka Vyner	$60,000
19	Joyce Guillen	$50,000
19	Karen Paul-Lee	$50,000
21	Christopher Lyons	$47,000