Orozco Honored by Society for Range Management with Outstanding Early Career Award

SPARKS, NEVADA – Alex Orozco received the Young Professionals Conclave Outstanding Early Career Award at the Society for Range Management’s 77^th Annual Meeting in Sparks, Nevada last week. The Award is presented by the Society for Range Management (SRM) to an individual member who has shown outstanding dedication to the Society within the first five years of their career. This award is meant as an encouragement for young professionals who make the difficult transition from SRM student member, to fully engaged professional members of the society.

Orozco exemplifies what it means to be a successful leader and young range professional. He seeks out mentorship opportunities, welcomes new students to the SRM, and is always ready to lend a hand. 

His involvement began as a freshman at CSU Chico, where he was elected as Student Conclave Secretary during his first Annual Meeting (Corpus Christy, 2016). From leading the Student Conclave and Young Professionals Conclave officer teams as President (2019-2020 and 2022-2023, respectively), to mentoring students and creating events for young professionals, Orozco’s contributions to the SRM are admirable. 

For example, he played a critical role in establishing the Young Producer’s Forum in 2021, welcoming young range and ranching professionals alike to become more engaged in the Society, and he currently serves as co-Advisor for SRM’s Student Conclave. 

His commitment to rangeland science and management extends to his career as an Agriculture and Natural Resources County Agent for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. As a new Agent, Orozco has leveraged his multi-disciplinary education and experiences into building a respected, applied research and extension program while becoming a trusted member of his community. In addition, he goes above and beyond in supporting local 4-H and youth rodeo to help the next generation of ranchers and range managers hone skills in livestock production and stockmanship. 

For the tremendous contributions to the science and management of rangeland ecosystems he has made, it is with great honor the Society of Range Management recognized Alex Orozco with the Outstanding Early Career Award.