News Archives

Nominations Open for Prestigious 2020 Austin College Athena Award

BJ Kirkpatrick Austin College, News 02/01/202007/23/2025

Nominations are open for Austin College’s Athena Award and Athena Young Professional Award. The College’s Center for Community and Regional Development and its Texoma Women Get Connected program will recognize two exemplary leaders with the prestigious ATHENA Leadership Award® and the ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award at a luncheon on Friday, April 24.

Nominations will be accepted for the 2020 Austin College Athena awards until March 1, with completion of the online ATHENA Leadership Awards® Nomination Form.Local honorees may represent either the for-profit or not-for-profit sector and must work and reside in Fannin, Cooke, or Grayson counties. Past award recipients are not eligible to receive the award, though previous nominees may be nominated again.

Event sponsors and table sponsors are needed for the event. Learn more from the Sponsor Information Sheet. For more information, please contact Ginger Nye at 903.813.2834.

The ATHENA Leadership Award® is presented to individuals who actively assist women in realizing their full leadership potential, have attained and embody the highest level of professional excellence in their business or profession, and devote time and energy to improve the quality of life for others in the community.

ATHENA Young Professional Leadership nominees are emerging women leaders under age 40 who clearly serve as role models for young women both personally and professionally; demonstrate excellence, creativity, and initiative in their business or profession; and provide valuable service to improve the quality of life for others in their community.

Since 2014, the ATHENA Award recipients are Stacy Rake Murphy, owner and principal agent of Nationwide Insurance in Sherman (2014), Brenda Hayward, executive director of Child and Family Guidance Center of Texoma (2016), Michelle Castle, branch manager at Guild Mortgage Company (2017), Luann Daniel, executive director of Women Rock (2018) and Sandy Barber, executive director of Fannin County Children’s Center (2019).

The ATHENA Young Professional Leadership Award has honored Michelle Lemming, president and CEO of Texoma Health Foundation (2014), Hillary Luckett Clark, a Sherman attorney and community leader (2016), Trish Bridges, director of critical care services at Wilson N. Jones Regional Medical Center (2017), Amber Pilcher, banking services manager and regional retail manager for Landmark Bank Denison (2018) and Tiffany Dancer, clinical director for Child and Family Guidance Center of Texoma (2019). A full list of previous recipients is available online .

The ATHENA Leadership Award Program is administered by ATHENA International, a non-profit women’s leadership organization, along with licensed host organizations and sponsors. Over 7,000 awards have been presented in the U.S. and around the world since the program’s inception in 1982.

Austin College was founded in 1849 and is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter. During the 2018-2019 academic year, the campus celebrated 100 years of co-education and continues to host events commemorating women and their achievements.

Austin College Names New Police Chief

BJ Kirkpatrick Austin College, News 01/12/202007/23/2025

Kelle Kennemer, formerly of Collin College police department, has been named the new director of Public Safety/Police Chief for Austin College. She was sworn in January 6 on campus with several area law enforcement officers in attendance.

Kennemer is an advanced licensed peace officer in the State of Texas with 17 years of law enforcement experience in higher education at both private and public institutions. She previously worked on the Austin College police force from 2002 to 2009, and holds certifications in a number of areas including sexual assault, active shooter response, and mental health officer designate.

“The knowledge she gained from her initial appointment here, along with her experiences at Collin College provides a solid foundation from which she will lead our efforts to create a first-class, effective campus-wide safety program for all members of the campus community,” said Tim Millerick, vice president for Student Affairs.

Chief Kennemer succeeds James Perry as police chief upon his retirement January 3, after 37 years of service to the Austin College police force.

She lives in Sherman with her husband, John Kennemer, who serves on the Command staff of the Sherman Police Department. The Kennemers have two children and two grandchildren.

Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.

New Adult Programs Announced for Spring at the Children’s Museum

BJ Kirkpatrick News 01/04/202007/23/2025

PickleBall and Mommy and Me Begin in January

Have you heard of Pickleball? A new year at the Northeast Texas Children’s Museum is a time for new programs. The new programs are designed to interest all ages from our oldest adults to our youngest babies. Pickleball will be offered to adults only and Mommy and Me will be offered to first time moms with babies under the age of 5 months. Then there will also be programs for ages in between.

To introduce Pickleball to adults in the area, the Children’s Museum will offer a Pickleball Tournament from January 27 – 31. To prepare newcomers for Pickleball, sessions to go over rules for playing will be held on January 15 and January 22 at 10:00 AM at the Children’s Museum. Pickleball courts will be set up in the back area of the Children’s Museum. Participants in the tournament will need to have a partner and be available to play between regular museum hours of 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM. The fee will be $25 per team. There will be no fee for practice times for teams to prepare for the tournament. Teams can get additional information and register by calling the Children’s Museum at 903-886-6055. A Pickleball League will begin on February 10 and end on March 20.

Mommy and Me begins on January 29 and ends on March 4. This program is for the very youngest and their moms. Mommy and Me is open to first-time moms with babies five months and younger. The class will include weekly speakers and “baby” strategies from other young moms. The purpose of the class is to provide an opportunity for young moms to meet other new moms and to hear suggestions for approaching being a first-time mom. For the six week program, the fee is $15. Moms can register by calling 903-886-6055.

Programs for other ages beginning in January include Healthy Kids from A to Z sponsored by Carevide for young pre-schoolers. The program will be led by Amy Strarks and begins January 15 with the letter “I”. The Weird Science program for fifth graders will be offered in February.

Classes will rotate through three activities including measuring liquid, temperature, and plasticity. All students will have hands-on experience using equipment needed for each activity.

One of the most popular events held each year at the Children’s Museum is the Daddy Daughter Dance. This year’s event will be on February 1and the theme will be “Frozen”. The event will include “Frozen” crafts, dancing, food, and photos (not included in the price). Playtime in the Children’s Museum will also be included. Tickets will be $35 until February 1, the day of the event. On February 1 the tickets will be $40.

All programs and special events will be held at the Northeast Texas Children’s Museum which is now located at 100 Maple Street. “We are very excited about our new site and the new programs that can be offered there. We are looking forward to offering programs for a wider age group. With attendance for 2019 at 32,000 visitors, we hope to attract even more visitors in 2020,” said Sharline Freeman, Executive Director of the Children’s Museum.