AC Foundation adds development officer, inaugural alumni coordinator
The Amarillo College Foundation is pleased to introduce a pair of newcomers who recently joined its dedicated staff – a development officer whose focus will be on the Liberal Arts Learning Community, and the first Alumni Coordinator in AC’s history.
Alumni Coordinator Katelynn Kenyon is a 2022 graduate of West Texas A&M University where she earned a bachelor of science degree in agricultural and media communication. A native of House, N.M., she served recently as a director of WTAMU’s new-student orientation program, Buff Branding.
Kenyon’s charge is not only to connect with alumni and keep them informed of events and activities at AC, but to encourage their greater engagement in the College community.
“I’m so excited to be part of helping to bridge the gap between AC and its many alumni,” Kenyon said. “AC is so welcoming and friendly, and we need to remind our alumni that they are welcome and appreciated here.
“By increasing our contact with alumni – sharing dates of events and where and when they can get more plugged in to the College – we hope they will become our current students’ biggest cheerleaders.”
Development Officer Mark Clark joins the AC Foundation following three years as the music teacher for Gruver schools. Prior to that he spent time teaching music in Egypt, Kyrgyzstan, and China, which is where he met his wife, Yanli. The couple has a 3-year-old son named Jakob.
A native of East Hartford, Conn., Clark completed a degree in music education and sacred music at Seton Hill University in Pennsylvania, and he earned a master’s degree in education through Concordia University.
“I’m very excited to be able to use my past experiences teaching and leading academic programs on behalf of Amarillo College in those areas that are liberal arts focused,” Clark said. “I hope to help grow opportunities across the liberal arts landscape for future students, current students, and alumni and the community.”
The nonprofit AC Foundation solicits and administers gifts and grants for the benefit of the College and its students, faculty, staff, programs and facilities. The Foundation is currently spearheading the College’s first-ever comprehensive campaign, Badger Bold, and results so far have been impressive.
In October of 2022, when the College launched the public phase of the $45 million campaign, a total of $31.5 million – a full 70 percent of the goal – had already been given or pledged to Badger Bold.
As momentum for the campaign continues to build, Vice President of Institutional Advancement Joe Bill Sherrod says the time is right to expand the Foundation’s focus on both the Liberal Arts Community and the College’s ever-expanding legion of alums.
“As we complete the first half of the Badger Bold Campaign, which is now at almost $36 million, these two new staff members bring important and much needed skills into play for us,” Sherrod said. “They are just two impressive people who will make a significant contribution to our success.”