Meet Tom

Appointed by Gov. Rick Perry in November 2005, Tom Mechler, who is a candidate for Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas, currently serves as the Vice-Chairman of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice, which oversees the criminal justice system in Texas.  Prior to joining the Texas Board of Criminal Justice, Tom served for two and a half years as a Volunteer Prison Chaplain at the high security state prison in Amarillo.

Tom’s business experience includes serving as President of Manna Services, Inc., which operates as a small oil & gas production concern and is involved in providing consulting services to independent oil and gas producers in the Texas Panhandle.  Tom has extensive experience in the negotiation and auditing of gas purchase contracts for the natural gas industry.  He previously worked for the Atlantic Richfield Company for ten years, seven of which were in Alaska.  His past assignments included duties as an offshore production foreman, on-site facility engineer at Prudhoe Bay, facility planner, and technical director.

Tom Mechler has a long record of leadership experience in the Republican Party, which includes serving two terms as the Senate District 28 State Republican Executive Committeeman, seven years as the Gray County Republican Chairman, and one year as the Armstrong County Republican Chairman.  He has chaired six congressional and senatorial caucuses at state conventions, chaired six county conventions, and was a delegate to the 1988 and 2000 National Republican Conventions.  Tom served as the District 16 Chairman in Wasilla, Alaska for four years, where he was also a member of the State Central Committee in the late-80s.  He served on the Rules Committee at the 1988 National Convention representing Alaska.  Tom is a strong advocate of conservative principles, both socially and fiscally.

Mr. Mechler graduated Magna Cum Laude from Texas A & M University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1980 and received a Masters of Business Administration degree from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1992.

Tom and his wife, Becky, have six children and six grandchildren with two more on the way.