Texas First Group was established in 2000 to provide interim management services for Texas municipalities. Today, Texas First Group is woman-owned and operated by Karen and Joe Dickson. Joe has over 27 years’ experience in public administration while Karen has over 23 years’ experience in economic development. Additionally, Texas First Group has over 250 associates with an average of over 33 years of public administration experience.
Karen Dickson is a certified professional economic developer serving in the field for 23 years. She served as the 2019 Chair of the Texas Economic Development Council and currently serves on the board of directors of the Southern Economic Development Council. She also serves as an instructor for the Texas Basic Economic Development Course and Community Development Institute.
Joe Dickson recently retired from city management after serving 27 years in the profession. He served on the board of directors of the Texas City Management Association (TCMA), president of TCMA Region Six, and is a TCMA Life Member.
“Thank you very much for the services provided to the City of Huntsville. I would happily recommend Texas First to any local government needing assistance.”
“Please let this letter stand as reference for your firm and the fine service they provide. We were able to continue to pursue our yearly goals and objectives, not wait until a qualified administrator arrived to make decisions. We found an excellent candidate because we had the time to look.”
“The City of Galveston was very pleased with the services of Texas First Group, and should the need arise, we will certainly keep you at the top of our list”
“The Town Council would like to thank Texas First group for providing an interim City Manager that allowed the town to operate smoothly and without disruption during the past five months. I knowledge, experience and leadership was invaluable during this transition. During his short tenure with Pantego, he worked closely with the staff and provided the Council with an overall evaluation which identified operational strengths and weaknesses within the Town. The information and recommendations he provided to the Council will be extremely useful as the Town moves forward in 2020. Again, thank you for the services you provided to the Town of Pantego.”
"As a result of unexpectedly losing our City Administrator in August 2019, the City of Magnolia again relied on Texas First Group, this time to provide an Interim City Administrator who saw us through a very challenging time for the past twenty-one (21) weeks, as well as provided recruitment services to find our new City Administrator. Our Interim, performed at the highest level of professionalism, his solid experience, knowledge, expertise and abilities were much needed and appreciated during this difficult transition. We are truly grateful and sincerely appreciate that you were able to provide us with a seasoned professional to carry us through and we would not hesitate to recommend and/or use your services again, should it ever become necessary."
"The Texas First Group interim provided us with the experience and knowledge we needed to help the City Council and staff to continue operationally while searching for a permanent City Administrator. I heartily recommend Texas First Group to any City."