Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award recipients named

This story originally appeared in a news post by Texas A&M Today

Texas A&M University and The Association of Former Students have selected 25 outstanding faculty and staff to be honored with the 2023 university level Distinguished Achievement Awards. Since 1955 the Distinguished Achievement Awards have been awarded to those who exhibit the highest standards of excellence at Texas A&M.

The Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award honors Texas A&M faculty and staff members in the categories of teaching, research, individual student relations, graduate mentoring, administration, staff, and extension/outreach/continuing education/professional development.

The selection process for this award is rigorous, with the recipients chosen by a campus-wide committee composed of faculty, staff, students, and former students. The award is a testimony to the esteem in which colleagues hold the recipients.

In recognition of their achievements, each recipient will receive a cash gift, an engraved watch, and a commemorative plaque, all furnished by the The Association of Former Students due to the generosity of our donors.  

The 2023 awardees are: 

Administration

• Luz E. Herrera, Texas A&M University School of Law
• Darby Roberts '88, Division of Student Affairs, Texas A&M University

Extension, Outreach, Continuing Education, and Professional Development

• Robin Murphy, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, College of Engineering

Graduate Mentoring

• Mark Hoekstra, Department of Economics, College of Arts and Sciences
• Bruce A. McCarl, Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Individual Student Engagement

• Rachel M. Ball '11, Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston
• Sherree D. Kessler '99, Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Arts and Sciences

Research

• Bruce A. McCarl, Department of Agricultural Economics, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
• R. Malatesha Joshi, Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture, School of Education and Human Development
• Binayak P. Mohanty, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
• Cheryl Craig, Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture, School of Education and Human Development
• Stephen Maren, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences
• Larry J. Suva, Department of Veterinary Physiology and Pharmacology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

Staff

• Kurt P. Felpel '92, Department of Economics, College of Arts and Sciences
• Maria Ortega '03, Division of Student Affairs, Texas A&M University

Teaching

• Adrienne Brundage '11, Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
• Andy D. Herring '91, Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
• Johanna Heseltine , Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
• Anton G. Hoffman '84, Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
• Anne B. McGowan-Schooler '76, Department of Construction Science, School of Architecture
• Sarah McNamara, Department of History, College of Arts and Sciences
• Robin Rackley '91, Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture, School of Education and Human Development
• Scott Shafer '80, Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
• Aric Short, Texas A&M University School of Law
• Kristi Shryock '97, Department of Multidisciplinary Engineering, College of Engineering