Axe ’Em, Jacks!
NACOGDOCHES, Texas –– Sherry Williford, retired instructor in Stephen F. Austin State University’s Department of Mass Communication and longtime advisor of KSAU-FM — now KAXM-FM Radio — has been named Broadcast Educator of the Year by the Texas Association of Broadcasters.
Williford will receive the award, which recognizes and celebrates the accomplishments of outstanding leaders in the broadcasting field, during the TAB conference Aug. 8 in Round Rock.
“On behalf of myself and the department, we want to congratulate Mrs. Williford on being named the Texas Broadcast Educator of the Year, a truly remarkable honor,” said Dr. John Allen Hendricks, chair of the Department of Mass Communication. “SFA was most fortunate to have had Sherry in the classroom for 31 years preparing individuals to work in media markets not only around Texas but also around the nation.”
Williford, who began her tenure at SFA in fall 1992 and retired in 2023, has been an instrumental fixture in the longstanding success of the student-run radio station. She has mentored and taught thousands of students, some of whom have become prominent voices on the airwaves, whether on the radio or delivering decisive news during morning and evening news broadcasts.
“She played an integral role in helping to improve the radio broadcast facilities so Lumberjacks were prepared to compete in the marketplace upon graduation,” Hendricks said. “Her dedication to the radio station required her to selflessly work evenings, overnights and weekends to ensure that the radio station operated within the Federal Communications Commission’s regulations.”
A devoted member of TAB, Williford served as president of the Texas Association of Broadcast Educators in 2015. She also participated in live broadcasts around Nacogdoches and throughout East Texas while away from the classroom.
Before sharing her knowledge and passion to eager SFA students, Williford worked as traffic director at Arkansas State University’s KASU for 10 years and had a stint as a production director at KAIT-TV, an ABC affiliate in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
Prior to SFA, Williford began teaching at her alma mater, ASU, as a full-time lecturer. Williford earned a bachelor’s degree in radio/TV with a minor in theatre in 1980 and a master’s degree in mass communication in 1990.
For more information about SFA’s Department of Mass Communication, visit the website.
ABOUT STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY
Stephen F. Austin State University, the newest member of The University of Texas System, began a century ago as a teachers’ college in Texas’ oldest town, Nacogdoches. Today, it has grown into a regional institution comprising six colleges — business, education, fine arts, forestry and agriculture, liberal and applied arts, and sciences and mathematics. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, SFA enrolls approximately 11,000 students while providing the academic breadth of a state university with the personalized attention of a private school. The main campus encompasses 421 acres that include 37 academic facilities, nine residence halls, and 68 acres of recreational trails that wind through its six gardens. The university offers more than 80 bachelor’s degrees, more than 40 master’s degrees and four doctoral degrees covering more than 120 areas of study. Learn more at the SFA website.