Lora Haasl Named WT Employee of the Year at All-Staff Service Awards

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

CANYON, Texas — An IT specialist with an uncanny ability to anticipate the needs of her fellow employees was named West Texas A&M University’s Employee of the Year at a Tuesday ceremony.

Lora Haasl, an 18-year WT veteran, won a cash prize, free parking for a year and more during WT’s All-Staff Service Awards, held Tuesday in Legacy Hall inside Jack B. Kelley Student Center.

Haasl was voted Employee of the Year by faculty and her fellow staffers amid a field of 11 other employees of the month for the 2020-21 academic year.

“I’m surprised and completely honored, especially in light of all of the amazing staff who were recognized throughout the year” Haasl said. “I love WT. I’ve been here almost 20 years and can’t think of a better place to work.”

“One of Lora’s most remarkable qualities is her ability to anticipate the needs of faculty,” James Webb, Haasl’s supervisor, vice president for IT and chief information officer, wrote in a letter of support. “Lora works tirelessly to ensure that our faculty and students have the resources they need to be successful.”

Carolina Galloway, president of the WT Staff Council, praised Haasl for her reliability.

“Lora is someone who you can count on, and is highly productive and accountable,” Galloway said. “She works to understand the needs of WT faculty and staff and has positive, professional relationships with the people that she helps every day.”

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

• Forty years: Dy Ratsavong, SSC.
• Thirty years: Patrick Bolwahnn, Buff Gold Card Office; Dr. James Gibbs, Student Medical Services; Shawna Kennedy-Witthar, Cornette Library; Goldie Stayton, Cornette Library; and Gonda Stayton, Cornette Library.
• Twenty-five years: Connie Fordham, Cornette Library; Shelly McCune, Budget Office; Dana Sides, Bookstore.
• Twenty years: Michael McBroom, Athletics; Max Seymour, Programs and Services; Betty Stocker, College of Business; and Paul Sweetgall, Athletics.
• Fifteen years: Chance Haugen, Programs and Services; Meredith Jameson, Athletics; Zachary Nethery, University Police Department; Andrea Porter, Education on Demand; Dana Melcher, Scholarship Services; Jamey Reed, SSC; and Christina Stockton, Kids Kollege.
• Ten years: Pamela Denney, Bookstore; Jo Evans, SSC; Barbara Ferrara-Faltinek, University Police Department; Cory Hall, Athletics; Karl Kimsey, Career Services; and Sarah Mayhew, SSC.
• Five years: Samantha Biffle, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum; Lauren Cazarez, Accounting and Business Office; Nathan Crawford, University Police Department; Dr. Brooke DePue, Institutional Research and Effectiveness; Keely Doyle, Mathematics; Ashley Eller, Information Technology; Jordan Fabrizio, Agricultural Sciences; Jerry Faltinek, University Police Department; Mary Freas, Sports and Exercise Sciences; Ashley Gardner, President's Office; Aaron Goodale, University Police Department; Renee Ingersoll, Registrar's Office; Janna Johnson, Human Resources; Kat Kane, Residential Living; Luke Kasper, Athletics; Sedrick Knowlton, Admissions; Caitlin Lamberson, Information Technology; Jay McGaugh, College of Engineering; Charley Marsh, Information Technology; Mevlyn Moudy, Residential Living; Nicole Patterson, Philanthropy and External Relations; Krista Posey, Lock Shop; Celina Rodriguez, Police Dispatch; Teri Simpson, Student Disability Services; Richard Smith, Risk Management; Robert Smith, Cornette Library; Joyce Stone, Financial Aid; and Chinhda Sysombath, Philanthropy and External Relations.

Employees who retired in 2021 also were recognized: Susan Allen, Rik Andersen, Wendy Bertram, Randy Brown, Michael Cook, Catherine Corr, Jon Davis, Shelly Davis, Kaaren Downey, Linda Fink, Karen Friemel, Cynthia Laxton, Laura Marshall, Terriann Pulliam, Kristen Robberts, Carron Sanders and Millie Vanover.

Also celebrated were employees who completed academic degrees in the past year, as were outgoing and incoming members of the WT Staff Council.

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

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. With enrollment of more than 10,000, WT offers 60 undergraduate degree programs, 40 master’s degrees and 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 15 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WTAMU—