Hey Amarillo

A conversation with Rosemary Robinson, who is believed to be the longest-tenured employee in the history of the City of Amarillo. Rosemary began working for the City in 1973 in a position with the Amarillo Public Library, before quickly taking on an administrative role with the Amarillo Police Department. She has spent the past 50 years working for APD—and doesn't have current plans to retire. In this episode, she shares with host Jason Boyett how she ended up in Amarillo after growing up in McLean, how her job has changed over the decades, and why she's found such fulfillment in her work. This episode is sponsored by Wieck Realty. Get tickets for the Hey Amarillo 300th Episode Live Show on May 5, 2023.

Shannon Herrick, M.D. is a long-time local pediatrician and the Regional Chair and Associate Professor for the Amarillo Pediatric Administration at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, which has just opened a new pediatrics clinic in southwest Amarillo. In this conversation with host Jason Boyett, Herrick shares how she ended up in Amarillo after growing up in San Antonio, how she balances a medical practice with her educational and administrative duties at TTUHSC, and the impact of the pandemic—then and now—on her work as a pediatrician. This episode is sponsored by Amarillo Hearing Clinic and SKP Creative. Get tickets for the Hey Amarillo 300th Episode Live Show on May 5, 2023.

Justin Thompson is a social worker with a career spanning from full-time instruction at WTAMU to several years on staff at Boys Ranch. He recently was profiled in Brick & Elm Magazine about his vintage golf clubs collection and the founding of the Tiger Flight Golf Club at Hamlet Elementary. Thompson tells host Jason Boyett about his career, the Tiger Flight origin story, his golf club addiction, and his sister Hali and advocacy among adults with special needs. This episode is sponsored by Jimmy John's and La-Z-Boy of Amarillo. Get tickets for the Hey Amarillo 300th Episode Live Show on May 5, 2023.

A conversation with Cynthia Barela Graham, a family law attorney and the current chair of the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Graham spent time as a criminal defense lawyer before turning her attention to family law, and currently emphasizes an approach known as "collaborative divorce." She tells host Jason Boyett how this mediation process helps couples navigate divorce without mud-slinging or conflict, how she maintains career balance, and why Amarillo's quality of life is so attractive to her. This episode is sponsored by Amarillo Hearing Clinic and Shemen Dental. Get tickets for the upcoming Hey Amarillo 300th Episode Live Show.

A conversation with Stephanie Brady, the founder and executive director of Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. A former vet tech and experienced wildlife rehabber, Brady moved to Amarillo in 2015 only to discover she was the only rehabber in the area with an official permit. Within a year, she had organized Wild West, and last year the organization cared for more than 3,000 orphaned and injured animals. In this episode, Brady tells host Jason Boyett how she first got started, how local perception is changing related to injured animals, and what's next for her thriving organization. This episode is sponsored by Wieck Realty and Aaron Mahnke of "Lore," presented by WTAMU and PPHM. Get tickets for the Hey Amarillo 300th Episode Live Show on May 5.

A conversation with Joe Garcia III, the Chief Revenue Officer for eCatholic. Garcia lives in Amarillo and works remotely for this global tech company, which gives him the time and ability to serve the local community as "JPEG Joe," a local portrait and sports photographer. He's also the managing partner of Press Pass Sports, an independent publication covering sports in the Texas Panhandle. Garcia tells host Jason Boyett how he found his way to Amarillo in the first place, the winding path into his multiple careers, and why high-quality sports coverage is in such demand in a place like the Texas Panhandle. This episode is sponsored by Amarillo Hearing Clinic and SKP Creative.

A conversation with Zack Wilson, executive director of High Plains Food Bank. Wilson's first experience with the Food Bank was as a communication intern when he was a WT student. More than two decades later, he's heading up this massive nonprofit, which serves the entire Texas Panhandle and distributes more than 8 million pounds of food a year. In this conversation with host Jason Boyett, Wilson details finding his way into his career, how the pandemic forced an important transformation at the Food Bank, and how the organization can be so efficient with each contributed dollar. This episode is sponsored by La-Z-Boy of Amarillo.

A conversation with Mary Jane Johnson, the general and artistic director for Amarillo Opera. Before taking that role a few years ago, she was one of the world's great dramatic sopranos in the international opera scene. While based in Amarillo, she performed worldwide, from Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Opera in New York to the Sydney Opera House in Australia. She's been the subject of a PBS documentary ("Mary Jane Johnson: From the Heart") and shared a stage with Luciano Pavarotti. In this interview with host Jason Boyett, Johnson shares how she found her way into opera, what it was like performing all over the world, and why she's so excited about Amarillo Opera's upcoming performance of "Rigoletto" by Verdi.

A conversation with Adrian Escobar, the Outdoor Recreation Planner for the Cross Bar Management Area. Escobar is employed by the Bureau of Land Management—a federal agency. The only BLM land in Texas is located just a few miles northwest of Amarillo, and he's working to turn that historic property into a Special Recreation Management Area that includes campsites, trails and other outdoor activities. In this conversation with host Jason Boyett, Escobar explains how he ended up here after growing up on a dairy farm along the Texas border, why the government manages thousands of acres in the Texas Panhandle, and what he hopes the Crossbar can be once funding is in place. This episode is sponsored by Wieck Realty.

A conversation with Angela Knapp Eggers, the Senior Managing Director of the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women's Health in Amarillo. A former ballerina whose career has spanned both the nonprofit and for-profit spheres, Knapp Eggers worked for cattleman Paul Engler during the big Oprah trial in 1998 and guided the Lone Star Ballet through the 2007-2008 global financial crisis. Since 2010, she's worked to improve the lives of women and girls through the Institute. She shares about this journey with host Jason Boyett—including why learning to take risks has been so essential to her career. This episode is sponsored by Jimmy John's and SKP Creative.