Four staff members from the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences have received 2026 President’s Meritorious Service Awards, one of Texas A&M University’s highest honors for staff excellence.
The awards, sponsored by the Office of the President and The Association of Former Students, recognize full-time university staff members who demonstrate exceptional commitment to the Aggie core values of excellence, integrity, leadership, loyalty, respect and selfless service.
This year’s recipients from the College work across advising, career services, administration and student support, but share a common thread: a deep commitment to students and the Aggie community.
New Employee Award
Gabriela Kocmoud, Dean’s Office
Gabriela Kocmoud is as an administrative professional in the College’s Dean’s Office and received the New Employee Award. She is widely credited as an essential operational backbone for the “fifth-floor team.” She manages complex logistics for the College’s advising operation, supporting a team of more than 30 advisors with onboarding, office supplies and day-to-day needs that extend well beyond her formal job description.
She is known for bringing a people-first approach to her work, especially during periods of transition. Additionally, Kocmoud has organized team culture initiatives, supported student workers and built a reputation for professionalism and genuine care.
Individual Awards
Caitlin Dartez
Caitlin Dartez serves as assistant managing director for career development in the Texas A&M Career Center, where she leads career services for students in the College, and received an Individual Award. In the past year, Dartez and her team completed more than 600 career advising contacts and led more than 200 events reaching over 14,000 students. She also played a central role in the fall 2025 Agriculture and Life Sciences, AGLS, Career Fair, which drew more than 2,200 student participants and more than 100 recruiting organizations, making it one of the largest career fairs of its kind in the nation.
Beyond her primary role, Dartez helped develop the AGLS Career Closet in partnership with the Texas A&M Career Closet and created the “Suit Up and Smile” event to help students access professional attire before the career fair. She also serves as advisor for two student organizations, teaches Hullabaloo U and is a current doctoral student in the Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communications.
Melyssa-Anne Stricklin ’11 ’16
Melyssa-Anne Stricklin ’11 ’16, a supervisor in the AGLS Advising Hub, received an Individual Award. A two-time Texas A&M former student, she chose academic advising as her vocation, believing it offers the most meaningful and impactful avenue for sustained student mentorship. She leads a team that serves more than 3,000 students in the College.
During her tenure, her staff have earned multiple Innovative Advisor awards, two New Advisor of the Year awards and Best of Region recognition from the National Academic Advising Association. She developed a virtual office and video resource repository to serve students outside traditional office hours and led the growth of “pop-up advising” from a hub-level pilot to a College-wide event engaging more than 700 students in a single day.She has also volunteered for four consecutive years to guest lecture for the First Gen Vets Learning Community, which supports student veterans.
Ximena Paez-Colasante ’14, Ph.D.
Ximena Paez-Colasante ’14, Ph.D., associate department head for administration in the Department of Nutrition, received an Individual Award. She oversees strategic planning, faculty affairs, staff supervision and a broad portfolio of programs and initiatives, including directing the Nutrition Undergraduate Research Immersion Summer program, a 10-week mentored research experience that serves as a pipeline to the department’s graduate programs. She also chairs the Texas A&M Life Sciences Network and hosts the Life Sciences Graduate Recruitment Symposium.
Paez-Colasante was selected for the 2024-2025 LEAD AgriLife, a Texas A&M AgriLife-wide executive leadership program for employees, and was subsequently chosen to lead a year-long working group on real-time employee recognition practices across the organization. She also led the Department of Nutrition’s move to the Norman E. Borlaug Building, managing space negotiations and logistics while maintaining regular operations throughout the transition.
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