Riza recognized as outstanding alumnus

Clarendon College President Robert Riza has been recognized as an outstanding alumnus by Texas A&M University-Commerce recently.

Dr. Riza was one of 21 A&M-Commerce graduates welcomed back as Alumni Ambassadors on February 27 by the university.

Each academic department selected an alumnus/alumna to represent its division as an Ambassador at the Alumni Forum. The official designation given to these individuals, “Ambassador,” is the highest honor a department may bestow upon its alumni.

Dr. Riza was honored by the A&M-Commerce’s Department of Educational Leadership. He began his career in 1999 at Hill College in Hillsboro, serving as Director of Student Life & Athletics and later serving as PHED Department Chair and Director of Athletics. In the fall of 2004, he assumed the position of Director of Athletics at Pima Community College in Tucson, Ariz. In 2007, he was named the Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs at PCC. In the summer of 2009, he returned to Texas to become the Vice President of Student Services at Hill College, where he served until December 2013 when he was named president of Clarendon College.

Dr. Riza has served on numerous committees including Clarendon Lions Club, Hillsboro United Way, President of the Western States Football League and the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference, President of Cleburne Christian Business Club, and Chair-Elect of Cleburne Chamber of Commerce.

In addition to his graduate degrees from A&M-Commerce, he has an associates’ degree from Weatherford College and vachelors’ degree from Texas Wesleyan University. He is married to Cobette Lewis Riza, and they have two children – Bobby, a student at Texas Tech; and Cassidy, a senior at Joshua High School.

“We continue to be amazed by our graduates,” said Derryle Peace, Director of Alumni Relations. “As these honorees come back to campus they give our students the opportunity to be inspired, impacting their lives, and encouraging them to strive for excellence in their professional and personal lives.”