This story was first published in the Davis College NewsCenter. See the original article here.
Texas Tech University recognized 29 outstanding Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources faculty and staff members on Thursday (Apr. 27) with recognition of their length of service to the university community. All those honored received a service pin. The program was held in the university's Red Raider Ballroom in the Student Union Building.
The Length of Service Awards are presented based on the employee's years of service to the Texas Tech University System. The awards recognize years of service in five-year increments and consist of a distinctive pin designating the appropriate years of service.
One particular long-term recipient – Mindy Brashears, a nationally recognized leader in food science within the Department of Animal & Food Science – stood out among the Davis College crowd for 25 years of service to the Texas Tech community. She is the former Under Secretary of Agriculture in Food Safety, where she served the USDA as a political appointee from 2019-2021. Brashears is currently the associate vice president of research within Tech's Office of Research & Innovation, and a professor of food microbiology and safety within Tech's Department of Animal and Food Science. She also serves as the director of the International Center for Food Industry Excellence at Texas Tech.
Other veterans of note with 20 years of service were Alejandro Echeverry, an associate professor of practice within the Department of Animal & Food Science; Paul Green, Texas Coalition for sustainable integrated systems research program farm manager within the Department of Plant and Soil Science; Gad Perry, a professor within the Department of Natural Resources Management; and Richard Stevens, a professor within the Department of Natural Resources Management.
The complete list of Davis College recipients who were presented service award pins includes:
Department of Agricultural & Applied Economics
- Bing Liu, 15 years
- Chenggang Wang, 15 years
- Qi Kang, 5 years
Department of Agricultural Education & Communications
- Rudy Ritz, 15 years
Department of Animal & Food Sciences
- Tangi Irwin, 15 years
- Tate Corliss, 10 years
- Hope Hall, 5 years
Department of Plant & Soil Science
- Kirk Williams, 15 years
- Scott Longing, 10 years
- Russ Plowman, 10 years
- Kenneth Ruland, 5 years
- Rupinder Saini, 5 years
- Rosalyn Shim, 5 years
Department of Natural Resources Management
- Warren Conway, 15 years
- Leela Barina, 5 years
- Cade Coldren, 5 years
Department of Veterinary Sciences
- Michael Ballou, 15 years
- Vinicius Machado, 5 years
Davis College Dean's Office
- Ric Ramon, 15 years
- Michael Harper, 5 years
- Madi Nall, 5 years
Fiber & Biopolymer Research Institute
- Jeanette Velasquez, 15 years
- Sumedha Liyanage, 10 years
- Tytayonna Outland, 5 years