Sherry Williford
2024 Educator of the Year
(Published August 2024)
For 31 years, Sherry Williford served as faculty advisor to the Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) campus Radio station and was a highly active and devoted member of the Texas Association of Broadcast Educators (TABE).
Sherry is a Past President of TABE having served in that role in 2015.
Sherry started her lengthy career at SFA during the Fall 1992 semester, when she was hired to serve as the faculty advisor to the campus station and teach broadcast courses.
For more than three decades, Sherry nurtured and oversaw the daily operations of KSAU-FM (now KAXM-FM).
Her dedication to the campus station required her to selflessly work evenings, overnights, and weekends to ensure that the radio station operated within FCC regulations.
She played an integral role in helping to improve the Radio broadcast facilities, so Lumberjacks were prepared to compete in the marketplace upon graduation.
Sherry shared her knowledge of and love of the Radio industry to thousands of students in the classroom, in the Radio station, and on live broadcast remotes around the city of Nacogdoches and throughout East Texas.
Prior to arriving at SF A, Sherry worked 10 years in radio as Traffic Director at the 100,000-watt FM radio station, KASU, in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
Prior to her stint in the radio industry, she was the Production Director at KAIT-TV, the ABC affiliate, in Jonesboro.
Prior to arriving at SFA, Sherry was a full-time instructor at Arkansas State University, her alma mater, where, in 1990, she earned her master’s degree in mass communication and, in 1980, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Radio/TV, with a minor in drama.
Her legacy in both academia and the broadcast industry will be the thousands of students she mentored, taught, and counseled over 30 years.
Upon the announcement of her retirement, one of her former students aptly described her career: “Mrs. Williford is the absolute best. Definitely a professor I will always remember as someone who had a huge impact in my college career, as well as my professional career.”
The Texas broadcast industry is most fortunate to have had Sherry in the classroom for 31 years preparing individuals to work in media markets not only around the Lone Star state, but also around the nation.
