The U of A Department of Animal Science has presented its Awards of Distinction for 2025 to: Advanced Graduates of Distinction, Rene Flores and Jessica Williamson (Robinette); Graduate of Distinction, Dr. Jim Coffey; and Friend of the Department, the Wedington Animal Hospital and Lindsey Woods-Erby.

Each awardee was recognized for contributions to the animal science industry and research, as well as to the Department of Animal Science in the UA System Division of Agriculture and the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences.

Recipients were recognized at the department's annual Awards and Scholarship Banquet at the Don Tyson Center for Agricultural Sciences on April 15.

RENE FLORES

Flores received his bachelor's (1999) and master's (2002) from New Mexico State University and his doctorate in animal science from the U of A in 2007. As a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences from 2007-10, he investigated novel therapies for the treatment of stroke utilizing an angiographic rabbit model of acute ischemic stroke. Flores joined UT Health-Houston in 2010 and managed the Pre-Clinical Critical Laboratory at the Center for Nursing Research. Flores joined the Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) as an institutional animal care and use coordinator in 2012 and was promoted to the program manager of research compliance for the AWC in 2018. Flores's wife, Lorie (B.S. 2007, M.S. 2010), and daughters Abby (B.S. 2017) and Ariana (B.S. 2024) received their degrees from the U of A. His son RJ is currently enrolled at University Technical Institute.

Jessica Williamson

Williamson grew up on a cow/calf operation in western Maryland where her passion for agriculture began. An early career in softball led her to Morehead State University in eastern Kentucky for her bachelor's degree in animal science. She was awarded a graduate assistantship to work for Paul Beck at the U of A for an M.S. After graduating in 2012, she went to the University of Kentucky to study forage agronomy and conducted research on grazing management to mitigate the effects of fescue toxicosis in growing cattle and completed her Ph.D. in 2014. Following the completion of her degree, she moved to Pennsylvania to work for the Penn State University Extension system where she served as the Pennsylvania State Extension forage specialist. In 2020, she began working in product management for AGCO, a global Original Equipment Manufacturing Company for Massey Ferguson and Fendt agricultural equipment. In 2023, she transitioned to marketing where she became the marketing manager for Massey Ferguson hay equipment in North America. Jessica and her husband, Ben, also a U of A graduate, and their children, Everett, 8, and Ellena, 6, live on their cattle operation in western Maryland, where they are managing partners.

Dr. Jim Coffey

Coffey grew up on a small farm in Prairie Grove, went to a junior college in Oklahoma (EOSC) and transferred to the U of A in the fall of 2007. He graduated in May 2009, spent the gap year in which he worked, took a genetics course and applied to veterinary school. He was accepted at Oklahoma State University. After spending two and a half years in Western Oklahoma (6 miles from Texas) learning a lot about living, being a veterinarian and enjoying life, Coffey moved back to Oklahoma City for family reasons and worked at two to three small animal clinics on a part-time basis. After about a year, Coffey became a strong part of two mixed animal veterinary clinics owned by the same company. He moved his little brother and his family to outside of Lincoln where he raises cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and chickens, and has worked at 14 veterinary clinics. He says he has been very blessed to have great people in his life.

Wedington Animal Hospital (Dr. Lindsey Woods-Erby)

Dr. Woods-Erby is a 2012 graduate of Oklahoma State University Center for Veterinary Health Sciences. She was born and raised in Fort Smith and in 2017 moved back home from Salt Lake City, Utah, with her husband, James. Since graduation from veterinary school, Woods-Erby completed two post-graduate specialty internships in avian, exotic pet, wildlife and zoological medicine. For three years, Woods-Erby practiced exclusively on exotic pets at Wasatch Exotic Pet Care in Salt Lake City. There, she was the only associate veterinarian, which entailed practicing full time, overseeing two veterinary intern doctors and managing all of the clinical duties, including medical and surgical cases, on a day-to-day basis. She has been with Wedington Animal Hospital since 2017 and is now a partner in ownership. She enjoys taking on complicated medical challenges, developing her surgery techniques and meeting new clients and their interesting pets.

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