CANYON, Texas — Eleven nurses educated at West Texas A&M University—including current WT Department of Nursing faculty members—will be honored among the Panhandle Great 25 Nurses for 2023.

The celebration will begin at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 2 at Embassy Suites Amarillo, 550 S. Buchanan St.

The list was chosen by a committee in collaboration with Texas Nurses Association District 2 and the Panhandle Great 25 Nurses committee. Criteria include leadership qualities, service to the community, compassionate caregiving and significant contributions to the profession of nursing.

Faculty members on the Panhandle Great 25 list are Dr. Collette Loftin, the interim head of WT’s Department of Nursing and the Kritser Professor of Nursing, and Teresa Smoot, instructor of nursing.

”While every single one of our faculty members deserves to be a recipient of the Panhandle Great 25, Dr. Loftin and Teresa Smoot exemplify the concept of great nurses with their loyalty, dedication to WT’s mission and values as well as their students,” said Dr. Holly Jeffreys, dean of WT’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences. “We are thankful to have great nurses continue the tradition of educating nurses for the last 50 years.”

Loftin earned her bachelor of science in nursing from WT in 1989 and her master’s in nursing education from WT in 2006 and joined the nursing faculty in January 2007. She teaches classes in foundations and medication administration.

“I am honored and delighted to have been selected as one of the Panhandle Great 25 Nurses,” Loftin said. “Nursing is a collaborative profession, and without the support of many brilliant nurses who have been on my team throughout the years, I know I would not have been considered for this honor. Nursing has been a fulfilling journey and has made me who I am.”

Smoot earned her bachelor of science in nursing from WT in 1989, a master of science in nursing education from South University in 2008 and a post-master’s certificate as a family nurse practitioner from Bradley University in 2017. She teaches nursing courses for the graduate family nurse practitioner program.

“It is an honor to be able to represent the profession of nursing and to be included in the Panhandle Great 25,” Smoot said. “I am thankful for the numerous opportunities, experiences and mentors throughout my 38 years of nursing, which have helped me achieve this award.”

Nine other WT alumni also made this year’s Great 25 Nurses list:

• Kati Alley, who earned her MSN in 2013 and works at Hereford Regional Medical Center;
• Sonja Clark, who earned her BSN in 1995 and her MSN in nursing in 2000 and is now Amarillo site leader at Bell’s Amarillo Assembly and Delivery Center;
• Sahala Gaillard, who earned her BSN in 2000 and works for Gruver Independent School District;
• Denise Gouldy, who earned her MSN in 2008 and works at Northwest Texas Healthcare System;
• Angela Looten, who earned her BSN in 1978 and works at BSA Health System;
• Colleen Robison, who earned her BSN in 1981 and works at Plains Memorial Hospital in Dimmitt;
• Kendra Smith, who earned her BSN in 2009 and works at BSA Health System;
• Gary Tabor, who earned his BSN in 2007 and works at BSA Health System; and
• Kristen Yoder, who earned her BSN in 2009 and works at Randall High School.

Also recognized on this year’s list are Sonia Santos, Cassandra Good, Tiffany Leigh Bateman, Madison Byersmith, Cindy Ellis, Ellen Nelson, Lori Rabe, Elizabeth Rodriguez, Janet Hillers, Jennifer Sabbe, Brenda Lee Williams, Souri Thephaphine, Suzette Meeker and Marla Hinsley.

Panhandle Great 25 Nurses also will give $2,000 scholarships to seven students, including three WT students: Emily Faith Lance, an Amarillo native pursuing a second bachelor’s degree in nursing; Citlali Botello, a senior nursing major from Dumas; and Haley Jones, a graduate student from Perryton.

Established in 1972 and graduating its first students in 1974, WT’s Department of Nursing in its College of Nursing and Health Sciences currently provides about 70 percent of nurses employed throughout the Texas Panhandle.

WT nursing graduates, over the past five years, have averaged a 97 percent score on the National Council Licensure Examination, required by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing to test the competency of nursing school graduates in the United States and Canada. Nationally, the average is 85 percent; in Texas, it’s 87 percent.

For information on this event, contact Dr. Richard Pullen at [email protected] or Dr. Valerie Kiper at [email protected].

Meeting regional needs, particularly in healthcare, is a vital component 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 $150 million.