2021 Distinguished Achievement Award Recipients Named

Texas A&M University and The Association of Former Students have selected 24 outstanding faculty and staff to be honored with the 2021 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.

The 2021 Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Awards are as follows:

Administration

• Joyce Alexander, Department of Educational Psychology, College of Education and Human Development

Extension, Outreach, Continuing Education, and Professional Development

• Larry Stein, Department of Horticultural Science, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

Graduate Mentoring

• Gerard Coté, Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering
• Christine Stanley, Department of Educational Administration and Human Resource Development, College of Education and Human Development

Individual Student Relations

• Krista Bailey, Department of Educational Administration and Human Resource Development, College of Education and Human Development
• Elizabeth Robinson, Department of English, College of Liberal Arts

Research

• José Luis Bermúdez, Department of Philosophy and Humanities, College of Liberal Arts
• Mahmoud El-Halwagi, Department of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering
• Margaret Ezell, Department of English, College of Liberal Arts
• Beverly Irby, Department of Educational Administration and Human Resource Development, College of Education and Human Development
• Marcia Ory, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health
• Svetlana Sukhishvili, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, College of Engineering

Staff

• Laura Hammons, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
• Melissa Shehane, Department of Student Activities, Division of Student Affairs

Teaching

• Joanna Goodey-Pellois, Department of Chemistry, College of Science
• Gregory Heim, Department of Information and Operations Management, Mays Business School
• Rupak Mahapatra, Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Science
• Ibere Nascentes Alves, Department of Petroleum Engineering, College of Engineering
• LeAnn Rudd, Liberal Arts Program-English, Texas A&M University at Qatar
• Jennifer Strong, Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
• Andrew Tag, Department of Biology, College of Science
• Aakash Tyagi, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, College of Engineering
• Andra Voges, Department of Veterinary Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
• Robert Woodward, Department of Educational Psychology, College of Education and Human Development

For more information about this year’s recipients, visit the Dean of Faculties site*.

* This link is no longer active and has been removed.