The Legacy Award was created in 2008, shortly after Aggie Women Network was founded. The award celebrates those who have achieved excellence as a former student and are making contributions that impact future generations. This award honors the trailblazers, the pioneers and the barrier breakers.
Mary (Hanel) McDowell is a Cameron, Texas native and honor graduate of CH Yoe High School. Mary applied to only one college, Texas A&M University, graduating Summa Cum Laude with a degree in accounting. Mary has had an exemplary career and has been a leader all her life, working in Texas, New York and Maryland. She is currently Independent Non-Executive Director on the Board of Barclays US Consumer Bank and is its designated financial expert. Retiring from full time work in 2016, Mary was CEO for 11 years at CitiFinancial, a multi-billion asset personal loan lender, now public company OneMain Financial. She held various CFO and other senior positions within Citigroup and at Ernst and Young. Mary served as Chairman of American Financial Services Association, is founding chair of its Women’s Leadership Committee, and was awarded the association’s coveted Distinguished Service Award.
Mary has supported many diverse causes, including leading both a Women’s Advocacy group and a Pride group while working at Citigroup. As President of Aggie Women during the pivotal year of 2020, the network began its very successful mentoring program, now called Inspire, benefitting hundreds of Aggie women. Mary has spoken at several First Thursday events, offering career guidance and mentoring to younger Aggie Women.
Mary has been married for 41 years to husband R. Kim McDowell, a 1977 graduate of Texas A&M Commerce. They have funded 3 endowments for Texas A&M, supporting the Aggie Women Network, Texas A&M Association of Former Students, and the Aggie Pride Network as well as provided a Legacy Gift to Texas A&M, primarily for scholarships to A&M. Mary and Kim are avid Texas Music Fans and support many festivals and musicians. They follow aviation events and live in an airpark. Together, they have traveled to all 7 continents and seen too many countries to name!
Kristi Scales, a magna cum laude graduate of Texas A&M University with a degree in Speech Communication, is in her 27th season as Sideline Reporter for the Dallas Cowboys Radio Network and her 35th season overall with the crew. She began as a booth producer before moving to the sidelines in 1999 and made history in 2002 as the first female analyst in an NFL radio broadcast. A recipient of the Blackie Sherrod Lifetime Achievement Award for sports journalism and broadcasting, Kristi is also a broadcaster on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, co-host of the Cowboys’ Girls Talk Boys Talk podcast, and columnist for The Dallas Morning News online.
She has produced three Super Bowl broadcasts as well as international American Bowl broadcasts from London, Toronto, Mexico City & Monterrey. Broadcast from the sideline of the Tokyo Dome for the Cowboys’ American Bowl game in Japan as well as London’s Wembley Stadium for a regular season game in 2014.
For the past 24 years, she has been a judge for Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader auditions as featured on Netflix’s “America’s Sweethearts: The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders” and previously on CMT’s “Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team.”
She is the author of the newly published book “America’s Sweethearts: The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.” Kristi lives in Dallas with her husband of 31 years, Louis Sutton.
Kristen Cox ’83
Donna Murillo ’81
Stephanie Murphy ’00 & ’14
Sheila Kelliher Berkoh ’88
Marceline J. “Marcy” Newman ’80
Kathryn Greenwade ’88, PHR (posthmously)
Christine M. Hollinden ‘ 87
Andrea Williams ’97
Renee Tyer-Goodwin ’79 & ’84
Randi Mays-Knapp ’79
Mary Jo Prince ’78
Dr. Angie Stooksberry Rogers ‘84
Rita Barrera Hernandez ‘86
Charean Williams ‘86
Ethel Hutson 1895
Ilya Espino de Marotta ’85
Amanda “Mandy” Scott ’87
Irma Alvarado ’70
Shannon Overby ’91
Dr. Sue Rudd Bailey ’81
Shelly Brenckman ’79
Troie Pruett Burch ’77
Penny King ’90
Merrill Bonarrigo ’75
Kathleen Gibson ’81
Elaine Mendoza ’87
Carol Jordan ’80
Meg Kash Lassarat ’87
Susan McFarland ’83
Sandra Paret ’80
K. Sue Redman ’80
Tara Storch ’91
Laura Dean Mooney ’82
Liz Rigney ’79
Carri Baker Wells ’84
Shelley E. Potter ’78
Cindy B. Taylor ’84
Dr. Lynn Purnell Hagan ’77
Elizabeth McKee Gore ’99
Cydney Donnell ’81
Elizabeth Drake ’87
Glenda Mariott ’79
Barbara Pereira ’84
Marijane Beasley Deen ’67
Holley K. King ’65
Darlene Morris ’64
Sallie N. Sheppard ’65
Note: Self-nominations are accepted. Awards may be given posthumously or to previous nominees.
The Aggie Women Network is excited that several of our previous Legacy Women recipients have since been presented with a Distinguished Alumni Award.
Nominations accepted June 6, 2025 through July 31, 2025. You are encouraged to nominate again if your nominee was not selected in the previous year. Nominators are revealed AFTER the selections are made.
Members and family members of the Aggie Women Network board of directors or Texas A&M Association of Former Students are disqualified from nominating or receiving the Legacy Award.
Complete the information below and be as thorough as possible. Use examples for each answer. If the nominee is in a profession that involves mentorship, be sure your examples relate to her impact outside of her work. A bio of the nominee is required, do not repeat the bio within the answers to other questions. Do not include any information or reference to financial contributions.
Note: Awards Luncheon October 24, 2025 noon- 2:00 pm @ MSC Bethancourt Ballroom