Texas Watch is a non-partisan citizen advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring that corporations and insurance companies are accountable to their customers. We provide a platform for Texans to get involved in the legislative process through grassroots advocacy, allowing our thousands of activists across the state make their voices heard to preserve and strengthen their rights, liberties, and protections. We strive to provide a counter to special interest lobbyists and ensure Texas laws reflect the true needs of Texas families and consumers.
We believe the Constitution protects individual rights and liberties. We believe corporations and insurance companies should be accountable to their customers. And, we believe that citizens have a right and duty to participate in the legislative process.
Founded in 1998, Texas Watch has helped provide a platform for Texas consumers on insurance, nursing home resident and patient protection, workplace safety, and consumer law issues in legislative and regulatory activities. Texas Watch members have provided testimony to legislative committees, participated in consumer legislative lobby days, testified in regulatory rule-making activities and spoken with media about consumer protection issues.
Texas Watch Staff
N. Alex Winslow
Executive Director
Alex oversees all legislative, political, administrative, and research operations for the organization. Alex directs issue strategy and leads program development.
As Texas Watch’s primary media spokesperson, Alex is dedicated to giving voice to the need for real corporate responsibility and preservation of individual constitutional rights and liberties.
Alex appeared in the acclaimed HBO documentary “Hot Coffee” as an expert on the impact of so-called tort “reform.” He has been quoted in every major and medium-sized newspaper in Texas. He has also appeared in numerous national publications including The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Consumer Reports, and The Wall Street Journal. Additionally, Texas Watch research has been cited in influential news outlets including BusinessWeek, Texas Monthly, and USA Today. Alex has also made numerous television appearances as an expert on insurance and civil justice matters and is a frequent guest on talk radio.
Alex serves on both the District Advisory Council for Austin I.S.D. and the Campus Advisory Council for his daughter’s elementary school. He is Past-President of the Texas Democracy Foundation’s Next Generation of Leaders. Additionally, he has served as a Travis County grand juror and as a consumer liaison to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. He has been named one of Texas’s Top 10 “Lobbyists for Causes” by the political newsletter Capitol Inside. Alex has worked on numerous political campaigns and for several members of the Texas House of Representatives.
Dennis D. Speight
Director of Development & Programs
Dennis is responsible for the development and implementation of all fundraising activities for Texas Watch and the Texas Watch Foundation. Additionally, he oversees project development and programmatic operations, and he assists on issue strategy and legislative advocacy.
Dennis has served as the lead fundraiser for numerous political committees, and has a strong understanding of financial management. Dennis has served as Legislative Director or Chief of Staff for numerous members of the Texas State Senate and House. Dennis brings a wealth of experience in the legislative and political arenas that give him a unique understanding of how politics, public policy, and fundraising intersect.
Dennis serves on the City of Austin’s Ethics Review Commission and is on the Executive Committee of The Texas Lyceum, a non-profit, non-partisan leadership organization focused on statewide policy issues and identifying the next generation of top Texas leaders.
Ware V. Wendell
Director of Legislative Affairs
Ware advocates on behalf of consumers at the Texas Capitol and before state agencies. He monitors legal developments that impact Texas families and helps craft policy proposals that focus on fulfilling the promise of “liberty and justice for all.”
Ware has worked as Legislative Aide in the Texas House of Representatives and Chief of Staff in the Texas Senate. He has been named a “Texas Super Lawyer Rising Star” twice by Texas Monthly and serves as an adjunct law professor. Ware has been privileged to advocate for consumers at both the national and state level, serving as a consumer liaison to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and fighting for the rights of Texas homeowners on a statewide task force on residential arbitration.
Caroline Sellars
Outreach Director
Caroline is likely the first person you talk to when you call the Texas Watch office and is responsible for all communication with our members. She works to engage Texas Watch activists and help them participate in the legislative process.
Caroline has a background in women’s advocacy and has worked with national and state groups to develop their new media strategies. After working with a major national women’s organization, she returned to her native state where she spearheaded research projects for the Texas Progress Council before joining Texas Watch.
