Hay to Step Down as Executive Director of Cultural Foundation of Texas Panhandle

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

CANYON, Texas — Dr. Andrew Hay has announced his resignation as executive director of the Cultural Foundation of the Texas Panhandle effective Dec. 31.

Hay joined CFTP as its first executive director Sept. 1, 2021, after serving as executive director of the Amarillo Symphony since 2018.

CFTP was formed in 2021 to preserve the culture of the Texas Panhandle and beyond, focusing the efforts of both Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum and the Texas Panhandle Heritage Foundation, which produces the musical “Texas.” CFTP operates under the oversight of WT, as a member of The Texas A&M University System, with an advisory board currently headed by Mark Bivins.

“I was presented with an opportunity that was too good to pass up—one that’s closer to home, allowing more time with my family, and in a professional field that I wish to pursue,” Hay said. “I cannot express how grateful I am to the CFTP board and President Wendler for the support of my position, the museum and ‘Texas’ over the past three-plus years. I have full confidence that President Wendler’s vision and Mr. Bivins’s leadership will result in success and untold benefits in the near future.”

Heather Friemel, CFTP director of finance and business, will serve as interim director.

“Andrew has helped executed the work of the CFTP by integrating three institutions essential to our region and state—the museum, the musical and WT—into a shared vision to preserve and promote the history and culture of the Panhandle people,” WT President Walter V. Wendler said. “I am grateful to Andrew for seeing the vision and his leadership in executing the mission of CFTP.”

A new search will begin immediately, Wendler said.

“Andrew was a pleasure to work with, and we wish him the best in his new position,” Bivins said.

The Panhandle-Plains Historical Society was founded in 1921 in an effort to preserve this region’s human and natural history. Construction on Pioneer Hall began in 1932, and Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, now the largest history museum in the state, opened its doors the following year on the campus of what is now West Texas A&M University.

The effort to celebrate the history of the region through an outdoor musical began in 1960 when Canyon community leader Margaret Harper reached out to playwright Paul Green. The musical debuted in 1966 and, until COVID-19 forced a cancellation of its 2020 season, has been performed annually before thousands of audience members in Pioneer Amphitheatre inside Palo Duro Canyon State Park. The 55th annual season runs through Aug. 14.

A native of Littleton, Colo., Hay and his wife, Kendall, have three children: Amelie, Aaron, and Isla. Hay's formal educational background is a mixture of management, philosophy, history, the arts, and theology — the latter being the subject of his Ph.D. from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

Focusing on the needs, history and future of the Texas Panhandle are key components of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign’s new goal is to reach $175 million by 2025; currently, it has raised more than $160 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT, a Regional Research University, is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 58 undergraduate degree programs, one associate degree, and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree 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 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WT—