Standouts and Shoutouts

Influencing the Longhorn Life Staff Newsletter
Published: Feb. 4, 2026

Award recipients with Vice President John Dalton
Kennedy Grigsby, Lisa Windel, Sarah Frey, Cecilia Lopez Cardenas, Vice President John Dalton, Kelcy Meek, Katelyn Rood and Kimberly Bird at the Staff Appreciation Awards

The Division of Student Affairs team celebrated several Division colleagues at the Staff Appreciation Awards on Jan. 28:

University Health Services was ranked No. 20 nationally and No. 1 in the Southeastern Conference among on-campus health centers by The Princeton Review in January 2026. The Primary Care team was also a finalist for the 2025 Bernard A. Kershner Innovations in Quality Improvement Award for their study “Antibiotic Prescriptions for Urinary Tract Infections” authored by Danielle Glade, Ellyn Lizakowski and Monique Cortez.

Staff presenting at the Association for Fraternity/Sorority Advisors Annual Meeting
Elizabeth Ayala (Office of the Dean of Students), Gil Moreno (University of Southern Alabama), Amanda Perez and Yvonne Dominguez (UT Arlington) at the 2026 Association for Fraternity/Sorority Advisors (AFA) Annual Meeting

Elizabeth Ayala and Christian Teague (Office of the Dean of Students) both presented at the 2026 Association for Fraternity/Sorority Advisors (AFA) Annual Meeting. Ayala presented “Power of Professional Chisme” about the experiences of Latinx professionals in the fraternity and sorority life field. Teague presented "Bag Secured: A Guide for New Fraternity and Sorority Life Professionals with Non-FSL Experience" offering practical insights and strategies for new Greek life professionals.

Chapter presidents of Delta Upsilon President's Academy
Christian Teague (Office of the Dean of Students, far right) with chapter presidents at Delta Upsilon’s Presidents Academy

Christian Teague (Office of the Dean of Students) served as a guest facilitator for Delta Upsilon’s Presidents Academy, a national leadership development program for chapter presidents. He led a cohort of 12 chapter presidents from across the country through the fraternity’s leadership curriculum, supporting their growth as student leaders.

Adrian Lancaster (Longhorn Wellness Center) and Katharine Sucher (Longhorn TIES) received Accessibility Champion Awards from Disability and Access (D&A) and the Disability Cultural Center (DCC). In the fall and spring semesters, disabled students, faculty and staff are invited to nominate someone who positively impacted their semester and demonstrated a commitment to accessibility on campus. Nominees receive a thank-you letter from D&A and the DCC, and a certificate.

Kelly Salomon and Joe Wise (Recreational Sports) are serving as co-directors for the NIRSA Championship Series Regional Basketball Tournament taking place at Gregory Gym, Feb. 13-16. 

Staff at the NASPA strategies conference
Health and Well-being and Office of the Dean of Students staff at the NASPA Strategies Conference

Several Divisional staff attended and presented at the NASPA Strategies Conference. The conference focuses on prevention, mental health, sexual violence response, peer education and student well-being.

  • Kian Greely and Myah Gonzalez (Office of the Dean of Students): "For Students, By Students: A Peer Led Model to Transforming Campus Culture" 
  • Kate Lower (SHIFT): "You Say Prevention, I Say Protective Strategy: Buy-In Through A Strengths-Based Framework”
  • Adrian Lancaster (Longhorn Wellness Center): “SHARE-ing is Caring: Community-Focused Approaches to Mental Health Peer Support”
  • Sarah Frey, Brittany O’Malley and Katy Redd (Longhorn Wellness Center): “Aligning Structure with Strategy: A Case Study in a Health Promotion Office Reorganization”
  • Kate Lower (SHIFT) and Brittany O’Malley (Longhorn Wellness Center), prepared with Grace Bova (Office of the Dean of Students) who was unable to attend the conference: “West Fest Reimagined: Prevention Partnerships and Risk Reduction with the Greek Community”

Retirements 

Laura and Brittany at Laura's Retirement party
Brittany O’Malley and Laura Dupuis

Laura Dupuis, Director of the Counselors in Academic Residence (CARE) Program at the Counseling and Mental Health Center, retired in December after 14 years. The team hosted an event in the Student Services Building to celebrate her achievements, featuring food, refreshments, a slideshow, remarks and visits from current and former CARE counselors and campus partners. Check out the photos.  

Staff with Mulu at his retirement party
Mulu Ferede (center) with retired University Unions staff members Blake Justice (left) and Bob Lawrence (right)

Mulu Ferede, Executive Director of University Unions, retired in December after 11 years. The team hosted an event in the historic Cactus Cafe to celebrate his achievements including the opening of the Alienware Longhorn Esports Lounge and Arena and the renovation of Hogg Memorial Auditorium. See the photos.

Our Thought Leaders in the News

James Buckley (University Unions) shared about the Hogg Memorial Auditorium’s major renovation in Traditional Building Magazine and Facilities Executive. He also interview with The Daily Texan about the Texas Union serving as the “living room” of campus. 

James Butler (Longhorn Wellness Center) and Dixon Hankins (Recreational Sports) collaborated for this guest editorial column, interviewing with The Daily Texan about the importance of getting outside. 

Randall Ford (Recreational Sports) spoke with The Daily Texan and Texas Student Television (Timecode: 00:14:30) about the history of the Recreational Sports Center in celebration of the facility’s 35th anniversary.

Jessica Hughes Wagner (Health and Well-being) co-authored "Building a Comprehensive Model to Create Tobacco-free Cultures on College and University Campuses” in the Journal of American College Health. The article describes the Eliminate Tobacco Use initiative and was written alongside colleagues at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, UT System and UT Center for Health Communication.