Texas A&M AgriLife faculty and staff received the Vice Chancellor’s Awards in Excellence honors during a ceremony Jan. 8 on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station.

The awards, established in 1980, recognize the commitment and outstanding contributions displayed across Texas A&M AgriLife and celebrate those contributions and achievements of faculty, students and staff members.

The awards and names of recipients are:

Teaching Awards

Graduate Student Teaching – Brogan Horton, graduate teaching and research assistant, Department of Animal Science, College Station.

Teaching – Jennifer Herman, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, College Station.

Research Awards

Early Career Research – Holli Leggette-Archer, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication, College Station.

Research – Luis Tedeschi, Ph.D., professor, Department of Animal Science, College Station.

Graduate Student Research – Melissa Meierhofer, research associate, Texas A&M Natural Resources Institute, College Station.

Extension Education Awards

County Agent – David Rodriguez, AgriLife Extension horticulture agent, Bexar County.

Extension Specialist or Program Specialist – Larry Stein, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension horticulturist and associate department head, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Uvalde.

Service Awards

Diagnostic Services – Holley Ernst, diagnostic services assistant section head, Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, College Station.

Public Service in Forestry, Jordan Herrin, district forester III, Texas A&M Forest Service, Lufkin.

Special Services – Alfred Nelson, agricultural research superintendent, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, College Station.

Staff Awards

Business and Operational Staff – Jenny Ponzio, business administrator I, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, College Station.

Office and Administrative Staff – Stephanie Merrell, administrative coordinator II, Diagnostic Services, Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory, Amarillo.

AgriLife Services Staff – Faren Franklin, human resources generalist III, AgriLife Administrative Services and Human Resources, College Station.

Technical and Programmatic Staff – Richard Epting, technical laboratory coordinator, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, College Station.

International Involvement Awards

International Involvement – Guy Fipps, Ph.D., professor and AgriLife Extension specialist, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, College Station.

Partnership Awards

Partnership – Texas Panhandle Vegetable Production Team: Charlie Rush, Ph.D., AgriLife Research plant pathologist, Amarillo; Kevin Crosby, Ph.D., horticulture plant breeder in the Texas A&M Department of Horticulture, College Station; Russ Wallace, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension vegetable specialist, Lubbock; Kay Ledbetter, AgriLife Research media relations specialist, Amarillo; and Jimmy Gray, AgriLife Research farm foreman, Amarillo.

Team Collaboration Awards

Wheat Genomics Team: Jackie Rudd, Ph.D., AgriLife Research wheat breeder, Amarillo; Amir Ibrahim, Ph.D., AgriLife Research wheat breeder, College Station; Shuyu Liu, Ph.D., AgriLife Research wheat geneticist, Amarillo; Chenggen Chu, Ph.D., AgriLife Research research scientist, Amarillo; Charles Johnson, Ph.D., director of the Center for Bioinformatics and Genomic System Engineering, College Station; Shichen Wang, Ph.D., bioinformatic scientist, College Station; and Richard Metz, Ph.D., scientist, College Station.

Texas A&M AgriLife Advanced Leadership Program Cohort V

The Texas A&M AgriLife Advanced Leadership Program is a two-year course that cultivates AgriLife leaders with a national and state outlook.
The program focuses on the development of leadership skills and greater understanding of The Texas A&M University System and the land-grant
mission. Participants interact with administrators, leadership professionals, and their peers, gaining experiences and tools that enhance their effectiveness as leaders.

Peter A. Y. Ampim, Ph.D., assistant professor, Cooperative Agricultural Research Center, Prairie View A&M University.

A. Catherine “Cat” Barr, Ph.D., diagnostic toxicologist, Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory.

Melissa Berquist, Ph.D., director, Institute for Infectious Animal Diseases Texas A&M AgriLife Research.

T. Allen Berthold, Ph.D., senior research scientist, Texas Water Resources Institute, Texas A&M AgriLife Research.

Guadalupe Castro, extension agent, 4-H Youth Development, Prairie View A&M University.

Craig D. Coufal, Ph.D., associate professor and extension specialist, Department of Poultry Science, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

Brandon K. Dukes, Ph.D., district extension administrator, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

Juan Enciso, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Texas A&M AgriLife Research.

Julie G. Gardner, extension specialist II–Texas 4-H Youth Development, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

Lucas F. Gregory, Ph.D., senior research scientist and quality assurance officer, Texas Water Resources Institute, Texas A&M AgriLife Research.

Steve Hague, Ph.D., professor, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

John L. Jifon, Ph.D., professor, Department of Horticultural Sciences, Texas A&M AgriLife Research.

Melanie K. Karns, financial accountant, Texas A&M Forest Service.

Gretchen Riley, partnership coordinator, Texas A&M Forest Service.

Lee Tarpley, Ph.D., professor, Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Texas A&M AgriLife Research.

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