Alumni Success
TAMUC Alum Named State Fair of Texas Volunteer of the Year
A&M-Commerce Foundation Board member, donor and alumnus Robert Rhoads was recently named State Fair of Texas Volunteer of the Year. Rhoads has served as a long-time volunteer and board member for the state fair's scholarship program. He graduated from East…
A&M-Commerce Alum Wins Prestigious Garden Club Award
Texas A&M University-Commerce alum Matt Byrd was recently named a winner of the Hull Award from the Garden Club of America. The award is given annually to the top environmental educators in the nation. Established in 1992, the award also…
TAMUC Alum Named Chancellor in Residence at Educate Texas
Educate Texas recently announced that Dr. Joe May will serve as the organization's new chancellor in residence. May previously served for eight years as chancellor of Dallas College. He holds a doctorate in education from A&M-Commerce.
Educate Texas is an…
TAMUC Alum Named Assistant Principal in Wylie ISD
A&M-Commerce alumna Crystal Harrelson was named assistant principal at Whitt Elementary in Wylie ISD for the 2022-2023 school year. Harrelson currently teaches fourth grade at Miss May Vernon Elementary in Royse City ISD. She serves on Royse City ISD's Superintendent's…
Chapman Scholarship Supports First-Generation Hopkins County Students
The Ken Chapman Scholarship provides a new opportunity for first-generation students from Hopkins County to pursue agriculture studies at Texas A&M University-Commerce.
Starting this fall, the scholarship will be awarded annually to a student pursuing a major in the College…
TAMUC Alum and Nationally Acclaimed Photojournalist is Correspondent in Ukraine
Award-winning photojournalist and TAMUC alum Erin Trieb travels the world to capture touching stories of strength, courage and resilience.
As a freelance photographer, Trieb captures stories on issues of social justice involving cultural identity, war trauma and feminism. CBS recently…
TAMUC Alum Launches Career with Dallas Mavericks
Bri Mathis, a 2020 graduate of the sport and recreation management program at A&M-Commerce, has accepted a position with the Dallas Mavericks as an event specialist. Most recently, she worked for the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
Dr.…
TAMUC Alumna Named Teacher of the Year at Cedar Hill Campus
A&M-Commerce alumna Tiffany Anderson was named 2021-2022 Bray Elementary Teacher of the Year in her first year at the Cedar Hill ISD campus. A Cedar Hill ISD press release quoted Anderson:
“I am shocked that I was chosen, but the…
A&M-Commerce Alum Named Interim President at SFA
Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) named A&M-Commerce alum Steve Westbrook, Ed.D., as interim president of the university.
After joining SFA in 1981, Westbrook served as vice president for university affairs from 2007 to 2020 and filled the role of…
Gatlings’ Gifts Inspire New Generation of Alumni Donors
Christopher and Dr. Breanna Gatling are among the youngest donors in Texas A&M University-Commerce history. Their recent gifts set a precedent for a new generation of alumni to support their alma mater earlier in their careers.
The Gatlings introduced two…
ETSU Alumna Reflects on Acting Career
Alumna Delores Wheeler recently interviewed with Thrive Global to share her experiences as an actor and writer in Los Angeles and Oklahoma City. According to her bio, Wheeler has appeared in Breaking Them Up (2020), Infamous (2020) and Painted Woman …
McLennan Community College Facility Named for TAMUC Alumna
McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas, recently named a new learning facility in honor of A&M-Commerce alumna Johnette McKown, Ed.D. McKown has served as president of McLennan Community College since 2009. According to a recent article in the Waco-Tribune, the…
TAMUC Alumna Named Chief Human Resources Officer at Georgia Tech
A&M-Commerce alumna Skye Duckett was recently hired as the vice president and chief human resources officer at Georgia Institute of Technology, an R1 research university in Atlanta, Georgia. According to a Georgia Tech press release, Duckett previously served as chief…
TAMUC’s First African American Female Graduate of Accounting Establishes Scholarship Endowment
Distinguished Alumna Zenetta Strong Drew made history in 1974 as the first African American female accounting graduate from East Texas State University (now Texas A&M University-Commerce). At the end of last year, she extended her legacy through the Zenetta S.…
TAMUC Alum Named Dean at Bemidji State University
Texas A&M University-Commerce alum Jeffrey Bell, Ph.D., was recently named dean of the College of Individual and Community Health at Bemidji State University. Located in Bemidji, Minnesota, BSU is a public university that serves more than 5,000 students in a…
TAMUC Alum Recognized as African American Leader in Radio
Texas A&M University-Commerce alum Donovan Lewis was recently recognized as an African American Leader in Radio by Radio Ink magazine. Lewis graduated from then-East Texas State University with a degree in Radio/Television and began his career in broadcasting in 1993.…
A&M-Commerce Alumna Wins Athletics Coaching Honor
Texas A&M University-Commerce alumna Latasha Roach was recently named the Dallas Athletic Conference Coach of the Year for women's basketball. Roach currently coaches for the Cedar Valley Suns, who represent the Dallas College Cedar Valley campus located in Lancaster, Texas.…
A&M-Commerce Alum Named Finalist for Plano ISD Superintendent Position
An alumna of Texas A&M University-Commerce was recently named as the sole finalist to take over the position of superintendent of the Plano Independent School District in Plano, Texas. Theresa Williams, Ed.D, was announced as the finalist by the Plano…
ETSU Alum Inducted into Dallas ISD Athletic Hall of Fame
People Newspapers, a D Magazine publication, recently published an article about A&M-Commerce alumnus David Shepherd.
Shepherd was a legendary baseball coach at W.T. White High School in Dallas ISD. Coach Shepherd retired eight years ago, but he was inducted into…
Governor Reappoints A&M-Commerce Alum to State Crime Victims Council
Governor Greg Abbott recently reappointed A&M-Commerce alum Jeffrey “JD” Robertson to serve on the Texas Crime Victims' Institute Advisory Council for a term ending January 31, 2024. The council analyzes the impact of crime on victims and close relatives, and…