Alumni Spotlight
Mr. Terry Stokes, CEO National Cattlemen's Beef Association
The Department of Agriculture is proud to recognize Terry Stokes, CEO for the National Cattleman’s Beef Association, as our inaugural Outstanding Alumni. He was recognized in 2003 as the Outstanding Alumni for Angelo State University, and we are proud to have him as a family member in the Department of Agriculture.
From a young age, Terry Stokes was predestined to be involved in the beef industry. His father founded Handy Packing, Co. in 1960, where Terry worked for the family business for over 20 years and throughout college at Angelo State University. Here, Terry pursued an Animal Science degree with a minor in Business. While an undergraduate, Mr. Stokes was a charter member of the Block & Bridle Club and member of the Livestock Judging team. He graduated in May of 1978 from ASU and went on to obtain a Master of Business Administration at the University of Texas in Austin. After receiving his Master’s, he was employed by the Texas Beef Council serving as the Food Service Program Manager, Chief Financial Officer, and eventually the Executive Vice President. In 1996, he joined the National Cattleman’s Beef Association as the Chief Financial Officer. From 2002 to the present, he has served as the Chief Executive Officer of the NCBA (National Cattleman’s Beef Association).
When selecting a college, Terry did not look far from home, as he felt Angelo State had everything he sought, including the right size combined with a good education. He feels the small classes allow for more practical application of knowledge, and it was at Angelo State where he learned the true value of networking. Mr. Stokes values the lifelong relationships he built with fellow students and professors at ASU during his collegiate career. In fact, he was in the first class our current Head of Department, Dr. Gil Engdahl taught over 30 years ago. Terry advises all students to take advantage of the experiences inside and outside the classroom by building a community of friends.
“Really, when I look at what I do today, it’s about relationships. That is what I value most are the relationships I’ve built.”
Mr. Stokes sees the recent merge with the Texas Tech University system to be an overall beneficial experience. “It seems to me to be a great opportunity for Angelo State University to be able to expand and to leverage its resources with Texas Tech; to be able to reach more students, but also gain more resources for research and teaching.”
When asked about future job outlooks for students pursing agriculture degrees, he responded, “There are a lot of opportunities, I think within the beef industry and agriculture in general for students today whether it be food, animal, veterinary medicine, meat science research, or genetic research. I think there’s a whole menu of opportunities for students today.”
With Mr. Stokes position and his networking capabilities, he has met with President Bush on several occasions; Terry feels he has been humbled by these experiences, but adds he values the fact that people with that much influence in our world are just like us.
In his free time, Mr. Stokes likes spending time with his family and of course the occasional golfing and fishing outings. We would like to thank Mr. Terry Stokes for his ongoing support of Angelo State and are proud to have him as an Alumnus.