Alumni Success
Ribbon Cutting Commemorates Reopening of Lyday Gardens
A&M-Commerce welcomed alumni Gary and Sandra Fernandes to campus on Oct. 21 to cut the ribbon and officially reopen Lyday Gardens. The Fernandes family originally sponsored the construction of the gardens in 2001, and another generous gift from them made…
A&M-Commerce Alum Receives Lifetime Achievement Award from PAS
Texas A&M University-Commerce alum Anthony Robinson was recently honored with the “Lifetime Achievement in Education” award by the Percussive Arts Society (PAS). Robinson received his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Northwestern State University in 1975, and then earned his…
TCU Professor Nona Batiste Graduates With Doctorate From A&M-Commerce at 75
Professor Nona Batiste pursued her life's goal across six decades before graduating from Texas A&M University-Commerce with a Doctor of Education degree at age 75.
Her inspiring tenacity is a testament to her philosophy: If you want something badly enough,…
A&M-Commerce Alumna Dominates New York Times Best-Seller List
A recent New York Times article, “How Colleen Hoover Rose to Rule the Best-Seller List,” details how one of A&M-Commerce’s most famous alumni rose to unprecedented success. Hoover currently holds an astounding six of the top 10 spots on the…
TAMUC Alum Makes a Mark in Contemporary Art
A recent article on ArtDaily.com highlights contemporary artist Trenton Doyle Hancock, an alumnus of A&M-Commerce. Hancock is a renowned artist whose second solo exhibition is on view from Sept. 17 through Oct. 29 at Shulamit Nazarian gallery in Los Angeles,…
Dallas Mayor Recognizes TAMUC Alum for Sports Broadcasting Career
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson extended special recognition to A&M-Commerce alumnus Gentry Ace Little on Sept. 2 for his service as a respected Dallas-area sports broadcaster since 1982. Little has covered more than 1,654 games across DFW and beyond. A statement…
TAMUC Alumnus James Thrower Inducted into Arkansas Black Hall of Fame
A&M-Commerce alumnus James Thrower will be inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame on Oct. 15, 2022. A recent article in the Magnolia Reporter announced that Thrower and six other Arkansans will be recognized for their extraordinary contributions to…
Several TAMUC Alumni Selected for Agriculture Teacher Hall of Fame
More than a dozen alumni of Texas A&M University-Commerce have been recognized for their contributions to agriculture education with their enshrinement into the Agriculture Teachers Association of Texas (ATAT) Hall of Fame.
The ATAT was established in 1940 to promote…
TAMUC Alum Hired as Assistant Professor of Psychology at Northwestern Oklahoma State
A recent article in the Alva Review-Courier reported that A&M-Commerce alumna Leigh Kirby, Ph.D., was recently hired as an assistant professor of psychology at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, beginning in the Fall 2022 semester. Northwestern Oklahoma State is located in…
TAMUC Alum Cesar Quezada Hired by SMU as Inaugural Director of Mustang Scholars and the First-Generation Initiative
Southern Methodist University (SMU) recently hired A&M-Commerce alumnus Cesar Quezada as its inaugural director of Mustang Scholars and the First-Generation Initiative. The Mustang Scholars initiative provides financial and academic support to qualified students while the First-Generation Initiative (FGI) ensures academic…
TAMUC Alum Retires as President of Trinity Valley Community College
A&M-Commerce alumnus Jerry King, Ed.D., announced his retirement as president of Trinity Valley Community College (TVCC) in Athens, Texas. He will retire in May 2023 after 45 years of service to the institution.
King joined TVCC in 1975, serving as…
TAMUC Alum Named Executive Director at SystemsGo Aerospace Education Program
An article in the Fredericksburg Standard reported that A&M-Commerce alumna Rebekah Hyatt was recently named executive director at SystemsGo, based in Fredericksburg, Texas. According to SystemsGo.org, the program “is an innovative high school rocketry/aerospace curriculum that uses project-based learning to…
TAMUC Alumnus Establishes Accounting Scholarship for First-Generation Students
The new James Earl Estes Endowed Scholarship in Accounting offers financial support to first-generation students who major in accounting at Texas A&M University-Commerce. Mr. Estes, a graduate of East Texas State University (ETSU), generously provided the funds for the endowment.…
TAMUC Alumna Hired as Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction for Gregory-Portland ISD
A&M-Commerce alumna Cynthia Woody, Ed.D., was recently hired to serve as the executive director of Curriculum and Instruction for Gregory-Portland ISD. G-PISD is located in Southeast Texas, near Corpus Christi. According to an article in The News of San Patricio,…
TAMUC Alum and Film Producer Releases “The Lady Makers”
A&M-Commerce alumnus Tony Hollins recently released a new film titled “The Lady Makers.” Hollins, known professionally as “Tony Tite,” is a writer, director and producer. He is the founder of Tite Creations, a film, television and animation production company in…
A&M-Commerce Alum Named Interim Police Chief in Rockwall
A two-time graduate of Texas A&M University-Commerce was recently named interim chief of the Rockwall, Texas Police Department. Edward Fowler has more than three decades of law enforcement experience, having served with Rockwall PD since 1990 in a number of…
ETSU Alum Named Newest Las Vegas Fire Chief
A graduate of East Texas State University (now Texas A&M University-Commerce) was recently hired by the Las Vegas, Nevada City Council as the city's newest fire department chief. Alum Fernando Gray, Sr. is a career firefighter, beginning his time in…
TAMUC Alum Selected to Attend Harvard’s Principal’s Center
A&M-Commerce alumna Aretha Jackson was selected to attend Harvard University's Principal's Center where she joined other school principals from around the U.S. to receive leadership and management training from Ivy League instructors. The opportunity was funded through the Charles Butt…
TAMUC Alum Named to Endowed Chair at OU College of Law
A&M-Commerce alumna Carla Pratt was selected by the University of Oklahoma (OU) College of Law as the first Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher Chair in Civil Rights, Race and Justice in Law. Pratt currently serves as dean of the School of…
TAMUC Music Grad Featured on NBC 5
NBC 5 news recently aired a segment about A&M-Commerce graduate Ashley Cox of Forney, Texas. During the pandemic, Cox lost her father to COVID-19, along with other family members. Yet, she persevered through hardship and achieved her dream, graduating with…