Administrative Assistant Named WT Employee of the Year

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — An administrative assistant with “a heart for others” was named West Texas A&M University Employee of the Year during a special celebration.

Amy Newton, a five-year WT veteran and senior administrative associate in the Department of Agricultural Sciences in the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, won a cash prize, free parking for a year and more during WT’s All-Staff Service Awards, held June 25 in Legacy Hall inside Jack B. Kelley Student Center on the Canyon campus.

“I’m very humbled,” Newton said. “It’s such an honor to be recognized for my work and for caring about my department.”

Newton was voted Employee of the Year by faculty and fellow staff members amid a field of 11 other employees of the month.

“Faculty, staff, graduate students, and student workers seek her guidance because of her nonjudgmental and compassionate attitude,” wrote Dr. Lance Kieth, associate dean, in a nomination letter. “I have watched and listened to her counsel many with sound advice given with soft touch or tough love, depending on the situation. People are drawn to her because of her genuine heart for others and desire for the best for each one of them. She truly cares for her people, and her people truly care for her.”

Newton’s fellow employees of the month for the 2023-2024 academic year were Brandy Pacheco, executive administrative associate in the Office of the Provost; Jonathan Mobley, library associate at Cornette Library; Matthew Lauterbach, director of development, security and operations in Information Technology; Daulton Eastin, shipping and receiving specialist; Jeff Mayo, travel specialist; Jasmine Montoya, Upward Bound program coordinator; Amanda Ryder, bursar; Stephanie Loya, Panhandle Area Health Education Center director; Kyle Hawbaker, assistant chief of police; Jennifer Eliserio, administrative associate in the Registrar’s office; and Carolyn Ottoson, librarian at Cornette Library.

Also recognized at the luncheon were all employees who have worked at WT for significant numbers of years:

• 35 years: Christie Spring, Department of Art, Theatre and Dance; and Kheuangkham Madsourivong, SSC;
• 30 years: Sidnye Johnson, Cornette Library; Sharon Murdock, Recreational Sports; and Steve Sellars, Career and Professional Development;
• 25 years: Rebekah Bachman, Agricultural Sciences; Jarvis Hampton, Institutional Research and Effectiveness; Kimberly Dudley, Athletics; Victoria Salas, McNair Scholars; and Randy Rikel, vice president of business and finance;
• 20 years: Chad Webb, athletics; Kyle Hawbaker, University Police; Lisa Caid, Information Technology; Buster Ratliff, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum; Dayna Schertler, Student Health and Wellness;
• 15 years: Kimberly Cornelsen, Rogers LEAD WT; Verna Hodge, Advising Services; Michelle Howington, WT Enterprise Center; Deanna Moore, Cornette Library; Alyson Ries, Advising Services; Gwynne Walker, Attebury Honors; Gina Woodward, America’s SBDC at WTAMU; Kent Johnson, Athletics, Matthew Vanderburg, Athletics; Sherri Shipman, SSC; Linda Sweetgall, University Post Office; Kirk Moore, Information Technology; Darcy Lively, Communication and Marketing; and Mark Scroggins, Recreational Sports;
• 10 years: Stephanie Loya, Panhandle AEHC; Tom Brown, Athletics; Chris Gove, Athletics; Don Adams, Accounting and Business; Justin McBride, University Police; Todd McNeill, Accounting and Business; Kyler Estes, Admissions; Meghan Williams, Education Credit Union Buff $mart Program; Matthew Lauterbach, Information Technology; Eyoel Mengesha, Information Technology; Veronica Arias, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum; Heather Friemel, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum; Steve McLean, Sponsored Research; Angela Allen, Engaged Citizenship; Brenda Keith, College Access and Academic Enrichment Programs;
• Five years: Dane Glenn, Communication; Gretchen Henley, Advising Services; Amy Newton, Agricultural Sciences; John Bassett, Accounting and Business; Tyler Burch, University Police, Cortney Carter, University Bookstore; Courtney Leal, Accounting and Business; Virginia Leathers, Admissions; April Locke, Scholarship Services; Heather Salinger, International Students; Stefanie West, Admissions; Dwanya James, Communication and Marketing; Dr. Todd Rasberry, Philanthropy and External Relations; Cailyn Nymeyer, Graduate School; Fabiola Hernandez, College Assistance Migrant Program.

The 59 employees honored for their service years represent 820 years of combined employment at WT.

Staff members who retired in 2024 also were recognized: Carla Banks, University Police, Patrick Bolwahn, Buff Gold Card; Brandi Clark, Registrar’s office; Teresa Clemons, Sponsored Research; Kristine Combs, International Students; Pam Denney, Bookstore; Darla Jenkins, Kids Kollege; Herschel Neal, Advising Services; and Gonda Stayton, Cornette Library.

Also celebrated were outgoing and incoming members of the WT Staff Council, as were employees who completed degrees in the past year: April Locke, Scholarship Services; Chelsea Kuehler, Cornette Library; Beth Mowry, Career and Professional Services; Genifer Schuster, Academic and Research Environmental Health and Safety; and Eliana Flores, Cornette Library.

Recognizing excellent and devoted faculty and staff is in line with WT’s “people first” philosophy, as laid out in the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised nearly $160 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WT—