Texas Tech University's College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources recognized seven distinguished alumni on Monday (Sept. 13) at the university's McKenzie-Merket Alumni Center.

The 2021 Distinguished Alumni & Outstanding Young Alumni Awards honor graduates who've made significant contributions to society, and whose accomplishments and careers have brought distinction to the college and to the professions associated with agriculture and natural resources. 

The recipients of this year's Distinguished Alumni Awards are:

David Brimager of New Braunfels, Texas. He received a bachelor's degree in wildlife and fisheries management (1996) from Texas Tech. He is also a Certified Wildlife Biologist by The Wildlife Society. Brimager currently serves as Director of Public Relations for the Texas Wildlife Association. He previously held positions as TWA Director of the Texas Big Game Awards, and later Marketing Director. In his current role he coordinates TWA’s annual convention, directing the Texas Big Game Awards program, managing various statewide TWA events and director of advertising, as well as a co-editor for TWA’s monthly publication, Texas Wildlife magazine. Brimager is an official measurer with the Boone and Crockett Club, and has written many wildlife management and big game hunting articles for various publications. He was appointed to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s Texas Game Warden Advisory Committee (2020), and Tech’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources Advisory Board (2021). 

Kelly Cook of Midland, Texas. He received his bachelor's in landscape architecture (1988) from Texas Tech. Cook is an award-winning designer providing planning, environmental design, and landscape architecture services throughout the Southwest. Kelly’s work ranges from the long-range master planning of cities, collegiate campuses, and municipal park systems to the design of intimate residential courtyards, and the restoration and protection of fragile ecosystems. He is a Founding Partner and Principal of KDC Associates, an environmental planning and landscape architecture firm founded in 1994.Today, KDC associates is represented in more than 150 counties in Texas, as well as in six additional states, and the international market. In 2019, KDC was awarded the Texas ASLA Merit for Spring design. His firm has worked on many Texas Tech projects such as the School of Music’s Master Plan and Texas Tech University Medical School Campus design.

Kim McPherson of Lubbock. He received a bachelor's degree in food science (1976) from Texas Tech. Following graduation from Texas Tech and short stint at Anderson Clayton Foods, McPherson attended the University of California-Davis to learn the process of winemaking, graduating in 1979. He then worked in Napa Valley before returning to Lubbock to be the winemaker for Llano Estacado (1980-1985), and CapRock Winery (1990-2007). He then launched his private label, McPherson, in honor of his father, Clinton ‘Doc’ McPherson. McPherson’s Texas wines have won more than 800 medals in state, national and international wine competitions, including two Double Gold Medals at the San Francisco Wine Fair. He continues to play an innovative role in the development of the Texas wine industry. He was inducted into the Who's Who in Food and Wine in Texas Hall of Fame along with his father in 1999. 

Dusty Moore of Lubbock. He received a bachelor's degree in agricultural communication (2003) from Texas Tech. He currently serves as President and CEO of iCEV . During his career with iCEV he served as student production coordinator, curriculum sales consultant, production manager, vice president of production, vice president of business development, and eventually President of iCEV, where he began developing the company’s online platform. In his current role, Moore is strongly focused on the platform’s development as well as customer service, marketing and sales. Moore is involved with the education technology industry, presenting multiple times at industry conferences. In addition, he is actively engaged in the career and technical education community. He serves on several advisory boards for CTE and agriculture-related organizations, including the Texas FFA Foundation Board and the Cal Poly Agriculture Education and Communications Department Advisory Council.

Kayla Robinson of Shallowater, Texas. She received her bachelor's degree (2004) in agricultural and applied economics, and master of business administration (2015), both from Texas Tech. Today, Robinson serves as of chief operating officer of AgTexas’s Lubbock location. She is an active participant within the Texas Tech community, coming back to campus to make AAEC classroom presentations within the department of agricultural and applied economics. Robinson has served on the CASNR Advisory Board since 2018, and the CASNR Matador Institute of Leadership Engagement Program Advisory Committee, a student program that provides unique leadership and professional development experiences. In addition to serving on CASNR committees, her AgTexas office hires three interns each summer, giving them any opportunity to know the company and better determine whether the banking industry is a good fit for them.

Monte Rouquette of Overton, Texas. He received a master’s degree in forage cropping systems (1967) from Texas Tech. His bachelor’s and doctorate degrees are from Texas A&M University. He currently serves as professor of Forage Physiology with Texas A&M’s Department of Soil and Crop Sciences in Overton, Texas. During his more than five decades with Texas A&M AgriLife Research. During his career he developed a novel forage-pasture program that assesses sustainable management strategies for beef production. Rouquette is an invited spokesman at pasture and cow-calf clinics, and provides soil-plant-animal expertise to scientists, stakeholders, industry, students and county extension agents. He is co-founder of the “Pasture and Livestock Management Workshop for the Novice.” Rouquette serves as co-chairman of the Forage-Pasture Program at Texas A&M. He was named a Fellow by the Crop Science Society (2010) and has been a Texas A&M System Regents Fellow since 2000.

In addition, CASNR officials recognized one outstanding young alumna. The recipient of the 2021 Outstanding Young Alumni Award is Angela Reid of Cable Beach, WA Australia. She received her bachelor's degree in range management (2007) from Texas Tech. Her master’s degree in rangeland ecology and management is from Oklahoma State University, and her doctorate is from the University of Tasmania where she conducted field research with Aboriginal Rangers in remote communities of Northern Territory and Western Australia. After receiving her masters Reid served as a fire ecologist at the Tall Timbers Research Station & Land Conservancy in Florida. In early 2020, Reid started working as the Indigenous Protected Area Coordinator for Ngururrpa Indigenous Protected Area, a brand new group of rangers in the Great Sandy Desert of Western Australia. Her work currently entails ranger development, habitat, and species management for a suite of important species. Reid was awarded as the Outstanding Young Range Professional for Range Management (2014), and Australian L'Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science - Mentoring Scheme (2018).

CONTACT: Tracee Murph, Coordinator of Alumni Relations, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2802 or tracee.murph@ttu.edu

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