Residential Living Leader Named WT Employee of the Year

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

CANYON, Texas — A graduate student with superior organizational skills was named West Texas A&M University Employee of the Year during a special June 24 celebration.

Ashlyn Olguin, an area coordinator in WT’s Office of Residential Living, won a cash prize, free parking for a year and more during WT’s All-Staff Service Awards, held in Legacy Hall inside the Jack B. Kelley Student Center on the Canyon campus.

“I’m honored and stunned,” Olguin said. “I just love WT—I’ve gotten my bachelor’s here and am working on my master’s—and I’m so honored to receive this.”

Olguin stepped in to fill a void left by significant departures in the office, said Dr. Shawn Fouts, senior director of campus community.

“Ashlyn immediately stepped in and assumed leadership, and her colleagues looked to her for her wisdom and guidance. She did not fail to provide the leadership they needed to effectively do their job,” Fouts said. “Her leadership is well beyond her years, and she is a consummate learner.”

Olguin, 24, is a graduate student in healthcare management from Lubbock. Her expertise in spreadsheets and organizational processes has made the Residential Living staff more efficient, Fouts said.

Olguin was voted Employee of the Year by faculty and fellow staff members amid a field of 11 other employees of the month.

Her fellow employees of the month for the 2024-2025 academic year were Beth Mowry, Career and Professional Development; Sharon Murdock, Recreational Sports; Jenny Torbert, Upward Bound; Stacy Scheller, Information Technology; Warren Pitt, Business Office; Rita Smith, Graduate School and Research; Caitlin Eastin, Human Resources; Tiffany Lott, Business Office; Janet Hanson, Institutional Effectiveness; Serena Smith, Sponsored Research; and Anthony Coggins, Information Technology.

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

• 35 years: Boat Rasavong, SSC
• 30 years: Ronnie Hall, Alumni Relations; Wes Hicks, Information Technology; and David Thurston, SSC.
• 25 years: Pamela Fortner, Admissions; Dan Garcia, Information Technology; and Mary Rausch, Cornette Library.
• 20 years: Marga Gore, Financial Aid; Julie Harvell, Budget; Julie Imke, Academic Affairs; Karla Johnson, Philanthropy and External Relations; Jonathan Mobley, Cornette Library, RoseAnne Platt, Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences; Brandon Steinle, Information Technology; James Webb, Information Technology; and Carl Welch, Information Technology.
• 15 years: Amber Black, Student Affairs; Lynn Garrett, Accounting and Business; Claudio Lopez, SSC: Misty Rueda, Academic Affairs; Charles Stocker, SSC; Heidi Stricker, Admissions; and Zachariah Workman, Accounting and Business.
• 10 years: Kendra Braughton, Accounting and Business; Justin Cornelsen, Virgil Henson Activities Center; James Crowder, Athletics; Lezlie Davis, Philanthropy and External Relations; Jennifer Eliserio, Registrar’s Office; Janet Hanson, Institutional Effectiveness; Amanda Lawson, Orientation and Academic Success; Brittny Lee, Philanthropy and External Relations; and Burl Wingo, Environmental Safety.
• Five years: Greg Barbee, Lock Shop; Lesly Bosch Annen, Philanthropy and External Relations; Diane Brice, Registrar’s Office; Christina Cahillane, Enrollment Management; Molly Caviness, Philanthropy and External Relations; Chip Chandler, Communication and Marketing; Tracy Collier, Accounting and Business; Patrick Diepen, Cornette Library; Paighton Gouldy, Department of Agricultural Sciences; Shane Groff, Small Business Development Center; Kimberly Hanna, Graduate School; Tiffany Lott, Accounting and Business; Katie McBride, Accounting and Business; Mark McKnight, Cornette Library; Jasmine Montoya-Moore, Upward Bound; Michael Mook, Athletics; Frank Navarrete, Advising Services; Axel Ochoa, Athletics; Filiberto Polanco, Department of Agricultural Sciences; Amanda Ryder, Accounting and Business; Gregory Stamps, Lock Shop; Dan Stroud, Institutional Research; Jenelle Trautmann, Athletics; Becky Usleton, School of Music; Sheridan Voigt, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum; Abigail Waters, Alumni Relations; Meghan Watts, Print Shop; Michael Webb, Environmental Safety; and Jaclyn Wood, Athletics.

The 62 employees honored for their service years represent 730 years of combined employment at WT.

Staff members who retired in 2025 also were recognized: Rebekah Bachman, Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences; Michelle Blake, Testing & Tutoring Services; Kim Dougherty, Research; Paul Fenstermaker, Student Success & Well Being; Mark Hiner, Budget and Reporting Office; Kathryn Lefever, Terry B. Rogers College of Education & Social Sciences; Terry Nepper, University Bookstore; Steve Sellars, Career and Professional Development; Dana Sides, University Bookstore; and Kina Wilson, Registrar’s Office.

Also celebrated were outgoing and incoming members of the WT Staff Council, as were employees who completed degrees in the past year: Tucker Gattis, Recreational Sports; Liam Griffy, University Bookstore; Trish McCormick, Registrar’s Office; Sabrina Pugh, Student Engagement and Leadership; Grayson Prather, Career and Professional Development; and Rylie Utsey, Athletics.

Recognizing excellent and devoted faculty and staff is in line with WT’s “people first” philosophy, as laid out in 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 $165 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 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; 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.

Photo: Ashlyn Olguin, center, an area coordinator in West Texas A&M University's Office of Residential Living, was named 2025 Employee of the Year at a June 24 celebration. Also pictured are, right, WT President Walter V. Wendler and Dr. Chris Thomas, left, vice president for student affairs.

—WT—