COWGIRL Honors VMBS Faculty Member, Researcher
Story by Kay Ledbetter, Texas A&M AgriLife
A Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) faculty member and researcher are among four from Texas A&M University who have been listed among COWGIRL magazine’s 30 Under 30 Class of 2026 honorees.
Dr. Audra Jones, a clinical assistant professor in the VMBS’ Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences who teaches at the college’s Veterinary Education, Research and Outreach (VERO) campus in Canyon, Texas, and Maggie Murphy, Ph.D., a recent graduate of West Texas A&M University (WT) who conducted research with the VERO research team, are among those selected.
They join Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Department of Animal Science graduates Ashley Dibbs ’21 ’23 and Victoria “Tori” Teegarden ’22 and Sarah Kezar ’22, Ph.D., a Department of Soil and Crop Sciences graduate.
COWGIRL magazine has recognized innovators, leaders, and trailblazers who open doors for others, share their enthusiasm, and embody the qualities that keep the Western industry thriving for the past seven years.
The honorees will be recognized at the COWGIRL Leadership Summit, May 20-23, at the Wrangler COWGIRL 30 Under 30 Empowered Gala at Live! by Loews in Arlington.
Jones, originally from California, earned her bachelor’s degree from WT and her veterinary degree from Kansas State University before returning to the Texas Panhandle as a clinical assistant professor with VERO.
Her career has included work in mixed animal veterinary practice, with an emphasis on beef production and bucking bulls.
Murphy, originally from Colorado, earned her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from WT, where she completed research on the microbiome of young livestock under co-advisors Dr. John Pipkin from WT and Dr. Paul Morley in the VERO research program.
She is now an instructor and horse judging team and ranch horse team coach at Colorado State University, as well as an American Quarter Horse Association judge.
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For more information about the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, please visit our website at vetmed.tamu.edu or join us on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
Contact Information: Jennifer Gauntt, Director of VMBS Communications, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, jgauntt@cvm.tamu.edu, 979-862-4216
