A message from our President and CEO on promotions at The Association

All,

Howdy! For more than 143 years, The Association of Former Students has been a proud and prominent resource for Texas A&M University because of the uncommon loyalty inherent in our former students.

I want to share some important announcements related to our team. These moves position the premier alumni association for continued growth and align our talent and resources with our strategic pillars of Culture, Engagement and Fundraising. 

Nic Taunton ’07 now serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, with oversight of all aspects of The Association’s day-to-day operations. Nic’s efforts since  joining our team over eight years ago have been truly exceptional. With a genuine heart and hard work, he proved himself to be an exemplary leader and a man of the highest character. His new role ensures, for the first time in our organization’s history, continuity of leadership and a clear succession plan. 

Cecilee Herd ’95 is now Senior Vice President for Engagement. Cecilee is our most-tenured Vice President, having served by my side through all that we have accomplished for over 23 years. The Association benefits daily from her vast institutional knowledge and strong relationships across campus. Her responsibilities include oversight of our campus and former student programming teams, as well as all event management. Cecilee reports to Nic on day-to-day operations, as do all Vice Presidents, but she maintains accountability to the CEO as our primary Board liaison. Her promotion reflects her outstanding performance, commitment to excellence and loyal commitment to our team. 

Allison Seibert ’11 is our new Vice President for Development. Since joining The Association in 2019, Allison has excelled in exemplifying our culture of professional team service and driven our fundraising efforts to new heights. Allison’s promotion reflects her extraordinary performance as a leader within our organization. She now oversees all fundraising efforts for The Association, from the Annual Fund to endowed and capital giving programs.

While I will continue to set The Association’s overall vision and culture as President and Chief Executive Officer, these promotions will also allow me to focus more time on capital fundraising and strengthening The Association’s external relationships, including those with key administrators on campus.

I have always been excited and enthusiastic about the future of The Association of Former Students, but never more than I am today. Please join me in congratulating Nic, Cecilee and Allison on their new roles. I have the utmost confidence in their leadership abilities, as well as those of our other Vice Presidents:

• Marty Holmes ’87, who is responsible for our facilities, including the Clayton W. Williams, Jr. Alumni Center, The Association's portions of Aggie Park and our future planned construction.
• Andrew Arizpe ’05, our Chief Financial Officer, who also has oversight of teams that provide critical organizational infrastructure, including database management and information technology.
• Scot Walker ’90, who leads our human resources team and also oversees all external and internal communications, including marketing, creative services, legislative affairs, web operations, brand management and licensing.

I look forward to the collaboration and innovation that will emerge from this new alignment. On behalf of our entire team, thank you for your continued support of our efforts as we seek to make an even greater impact on Texas A&M University and the worldwide Aggie Network!

All my best,

Porter S. Garner III '79
President and CEO

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