• Region 16 announced the elementary and secondary teachers of the year for 2022. Tiffany Ryals from Amarillo ISD is Elementary Teacher of the Year. Tricia Shay from Borger ISD is the Secondary Teacher of the Year.
  • Mike Knox, currently vice president for student enrollment, engagement and success, was named vice president of enrollment management for West Texas A&M University. 
  • Dr. Guillermo Marcillo, assistant professor
    of agricultural statistics in WT’s Paul Engler
    College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences,
    was named an E. Kika De La Garza Education, High School and Science Fellow. The program links USDA and Hispanic-Serving Institutions to help build awareness in Hispanic communities of USDA services, resources and employment opportunities. 
  • WTAMU was ranked at No. 1 by TopRNtoBSN.com, an independent analyst, for offering the most affordable online RN-to-BSN program in the country.
  • Seven WTAMU faculty members have been appointed to endowed professorships in the Paul & Virginia Engler College of Business at West Texas A&M University. Dr. Anne-Christine Barthel was named the Hodges Professor of Business.
    Dr. Rahul Chauhan was named the McCray Professor of Business. Dr. Murray Jennex was named the Gensler Professor of Computer Information Systems. Dr. Scott Jones, who begins his WT career this month, was named the Foust Professor of Business.  Matt Loftin, who joined WT in 2021, was named the Miller Professor. Dr. Dallin Smith was named the Schaeffer Professor for Business Ethics. Dr. Chen Zhao was named the Edwards Professor of Accounting. 
  • BSA Health System (BSA) was named Best Regional Hospital in the Panhandle-Plains region and ranked No. 24 for best hospitals in Texas for 2022-2023 by U.S. News & World Report. BSA was also recognized as a High Performing hospital for the following seven procedures and conditions: congestive heart failure, colon cancer surgery, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, heart attack, kidney failure and stroke. 
  • BSA was named to the 2022 Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals list. This is the seventh time BSA has been recognized with this honor as one of the top performing hospitals in the U.S. The annual list was published by Fortune.
  • BSA Health System has named Jerome Brooks as the new chief operating officer (COO), effective July 2022. He replaces Michael Cruz, who was recently named BSA’s chief executive officer.
  • Xcel Energy announced that in 2021, it purchased almost $745 million in goods and services from businesses in Texas and New Mexico, impacting local economies bouncing back from the effects of the  pandemic. This amount was a significant increase over the amount spent with regional businesses in 2020.
  • Governor Abbott appointed Dee Johnson to the 47th Judicial District Court in Armstrong, Potter, and Randall Counties for a term set to expire on Dec. 31, 2022, or until her successor is duly elected and qualified. Johnson is partner and counsel for Packard, Hood, Johnson & Paul, L.L.P. 
  • Luis Morales Luna joined Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine in Amarillo as an assistant professor of practice with the cross-cutting subject matter expertise of general veterinary practice. He began his duties on June 20. 
  • Family Support Services announced the appointment of Christy Bertolino as its new Director of Donor Engagement. Bertolino joined FSS in July.
  • Amarillo-based Clift Land Brokers recently celebrated its 25th anniversary in the land business. Clift Land Brokers has offices in Amarillo, Dalhart, Dimmitt, Littlefield, Pampa, Perryton, and Stratford.
  • Education Credit Union (ECU) announced the departure of President and CEO Eric Jenkins, citing a new opportunity that will allow him to return to his home state of Georgia. The ECU Board has appointed Marcus Smith as interim CEO. Smith has served as CFO of ECU since 2014.
  • FirstBank Southwest promoted Will Miller to Executive Vice President/President of Commercial and Corporate Banking. Miller has worked for FBSW for 27 years.
  • John Byrom has joined Brown & Fortunato’s Corporate Group as a senior associate. John returns to B&F, bringing almost eight years of oil and gas experience.
  • The Texas Tech University System Board of Regents approved the appointments of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) faculty Sherry Sancibrian and Thomas Hale, Ph.D., R.Ph., as Grover E. Murray Professors. Grover E. Murray Professors are faculty members who have attained national and international distinction in their fields for outstanding research, excellence in scholarship and creative achievement.
  • On Aug. 19, the City of Amarillo broke ground on the new Pavilion at the Santa Fe Depot. The covered, open-air Pavilion is scheduled to be completed by November 2022, in time to host the World Championship Ranch Rodeo.
  • The Amarillo Symphony was the recipient of a grant from Texas Women for the Arts (TWA), a program of the Texas Cultural Trust. The $2,000 grant funds will be used to support Kinderkonzerts, an educational program for K-second grade students.
  • Texas Tech Physicians celebrated its expansion to Canyon with a ribbon-cutting for the new Texas Tech Physicians Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic. The clinic marks the first expansion of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) in Amarillo to a neighboring community.
  • Producer Owned Beef celebrated its launch on Aug. 10 with a celebration in downtown Amarillo. The processing facility will break ground in early 2023 and will be the only processing plant in the nation owned by beef producers. Organizers expect this facility to represent a $1 billion economic impact to Amarillo over the next five years.
  • The Commons at St. Anthony’s, a 124-unit senior independent living apartment complex on the
    east end of the historic St. Anthony’s Hospital,
    held a groundbreaking ceremony on Aug. 12.
    The new community is a major part of St. Anthony’s redevelopment and promises significant economic impact to the city’s north side.

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