Amarillo Gazette

Commission on State Emergency Communication paid an average compensation of $82,748 during 2021, this was more than the public employee average of $55,188, according to data compiled by The Texas Tribune.

The highest-paid public employee in Texas was Beau Michelle Le, who earned $608,850 as the chief scientific officer at the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.

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	$140,698
2	Patrick Tyler	$134,990
3	Mia Villarreal	$112,000
4	Heather Barnes	$106,000
5	Robert Cadenhead	$100,000
6	Alfred Turner	$90,000
6	Lorrain Meek	$90,000
8	Monica Watt	$80,000
9	Kevin Rohrer	$74,988
10	Kelley Williams	$68,034
11	James Johnson	$65,000
11	Jason Coleman	$65,000
13	Melinda Crockom	$60,000
13	Grace Milam	$60,000
13	Jessyka Vyner	$60,000
16	Karen Paul-Lee	$50,000
16	Joyce Guillen	$50,000