Every fall, the New Mexico State University Alumni Association presents the university’s most accomplished alumni with its highest honors: the James F. Cole Memorial Award for Service, the Distinguished Alumni Awards, and the Young Alumni Service Award. Eight new recipients were announced this month as the latest honorees.
- The James F. Cole Memorial Award for Service recipient is Charles L. (Charley) Johnson, a 1961 NMSU graduate. The quintessential NMSU Aggie, Johnson was the greatest quarterback in NMSU football history before pursuing careers in both professional football and the oil business. He earned his master’s and doctoral degrees while playing in the NFL. After serving in the Army for two years, Johnson returned to his alma mater in 2000 to be head of the Chemical Engineering Department. A past winner of the Distinguished Alumni Award, Johnson’s support for NMSU includes being a mentor and coach, plus decades of charitable giving. He helped establish the Warren B. Woodson Endowed Fund in Athletics in 2003.
- College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences: Michael Galyean, 1973, is the Paul Whitfield distinguished professor in the Department of Veterinary Sciences at Texas Tech University. He is one of the top cattle nutritionists in the world. As a university professor he has taught graduate courses in animal nutrition and statistics, conducted research in cattle nutrition and management, served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Animal Science, and served as president of the American Society of Animal Science and the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists.
- College of Arts and Sciences – Fine Arts and Humanities: Don T. Foster, 1981, is a television writer/producer and creative consultant in Hollywood. He worked on some of the world's most popular sitcoms for 25 years, including "Roseanne," "Dharma and Greg," "Two and a Half Men," "The Big Bang Theory" and "Mike & Molly." For his work in television, Foster received Golden Globe awards, Emmy nominations, People's Choice awards and a Peabody. When not in California, he generously gives his time in southern New Mexico, working with groups of students to tell stories of this region.
- College of Arts and Sciences – Sciences and Social Sciences: Kellie Ann Jurado, 2011, whose groundbreaking work on Zika virus pathogenesis established her as a leader in the field of infectious diseases. Her commitment to the inclusion of underrepresented groups in science displays the dedication she has toward fostering a more equitable environment for all. Jurado is assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and serves as the primary mentor of multiple postdoctoral and clinical fellows, graduate trainees, research technicians and undergraduate research scholars.
- College of Business: Anthony Boor, 1989, is chief financial officer and executive vice president of Blackbaud, a cloud software company powering the social good community: nonprofits, foundations, corporations, education institutions, healthcare organizations, religious organizations and individual change agents. Boor has served on the board of directors of the Lord’s Pantry at Anna’s House, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana as well as the Indiana State Museum. He also chaired the Charleston American Heart Association Heart Ball and Catholic Charities of South Carolina.
- College of Engineering: Wencil McClenahan, 1991, had a 25-year career with Boeing. There, McClanahan managed and led many multi-functional aircraft and aerospace technical teams and was an internal company consultant. He has been the champion for the NMSU Mechanical and Aerospace Academy for several years, following a seven-year stint as an adjunct associate professor of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at NMSU.
- College of Health, Education and Social Transformation: David Gallegos, 1997, an athletic trainer in the Las Cruces community, who previously worked in in professional sports. Gallegos has worked to improve the experience of other athletic trainers, helping them to gain their secondary teaching license in New Mexico by increasing recognition of the life-science-heavy coursework associated with an athletic training degree. Gallegos is deputy chief executive officer for Fyzical Therapy and Balance Centers in Las Cruces, and this summer, he was elected vice president of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, representing 45,000 athletic trainers around the world.
- Bobby Brooke Herrera, 2012, is the recipient of the Young Alumni Service Award, recognizing a graduate under the age of 40 who has made great strides both professionally and philanthropically, shaping their community’s future through service. Herrera has collaborated with academic institutions like Harvard University and industry partners to improve the health care systems in both the United States and in low- and middle-income countries around the world. He is a role model for students and others interested in technology and its application to alleviate human suffering, particularly in the most vulnerable groups. His research focuses on developing medical technologies and treatments for viral infections such as COVID-19, monkeypox, Zika and Ebola. Herrera co-founded two biotech companies and is an incoming presidential assistant professor at Rutgers’ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey.
The NMSU Alumni Association has presented the Distinguished Alumni awards since 1956, adding the James F. Cole Memorial Award in 1966 and the Young Alumni Service Award in 2019. Honorees are selected by the Alumni Association Awards Committee based on personal accomplishment, professional achievement and charitable service.
