NEWS: VP candidates meet TAMIU students, faculty
By Veronica A. Mata
Bridge Staff Writer
Published Friday, May 1, 2026
To determine the next vice president for institutional advancement, TAMIU hosted three open forums, giving each candidate an opportunity to introduce themselves to the public. The open forums took place from April 14 to April 16 in the Senator Judith Zaffirini Student Success Center, Room 101.
The vice presidential candidates included Javier “Jay” Zambrano, Cristian A. Murdock and Amy Armstrong. On April 16, people gathered from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. to meet Armstrong. During the session, she was interviewed by Vice President for Student Engagement Rosalinda Garcia.
Amy Armstrong, vice president candidate
Cristian A. Murdock, vice president candidate
Javier L. Zambrano, vice president candidate
The Forum began with Armstrong thanking everyone for attending. She expressed her concern that many people would not show up, but thanked the audience and complimented them for caring about the University.
“It is a true testament of how much you feel this position can help you and help the University, but it also shows me how committed you are to the University and the mission,” Armstrong said. “So kudos to you for showing up and being enthusiastic about it.”
Hailing from San Angelo, Texas, Armstrong holds an undergraduate marketing degree from Texas Tech University. She shared her journey of discovering her true passion by experiencing different careers. It wasn’t until she was hired at Texas Tech University that she discovered her love for fundraising.
“I found that I am a relationship builder and that’s my strength,” she said. “And so, I found that matching a philanthropic family with a project or a student on campus and matching that need and that capacity is what my itch is.”
Armstrong emphasized that she has worked at many universities and has been assigned to different positions, giving her a chance to learn from each of them.
“I’ve held just about every position in the advancement department, not always by choice, but in the end it worked out because now, as a leader, I can say I have been where you are and almost every position in the division,” she said.
After her introduction, Garcia asked Armstrong some questions regarding different aspects of her job. Of those, she asked her about her interest in the position, Laredo and TAMIU.
Armstrong shared how things aligned for her when she decided to apply for this position. Her husband’s job took them to Laredo, and he fell in love with the city. At the time, she worked at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, which hit a deficit problem, resulting in her layoff. She was then told about TAMIU and found an opening for the vice president position.
Amy Armstrong, left, responds to an interview question from Vice President for Student Engagement Rosalinda Garcia at TAMIU’s Open Forum in the Senator Judith Zaffirini Stuent Success Center, Room 101 on April 16, 2026. This was one of three open forums with each of the three finalists.
“I went ahead and applied, and it just felt like the stars had kind of aligned in a way, if you believe in that, and when doors close, doors open that you may not have expected,” she said.
Garcia asked what made her successful in her job. Armstrong replied, learning not to take life too seriously and acknowledging that everyone is a person, regardless of position or occupation, was something that helped her.
“I don’t care if you’re a movie star, a billionaire or … the custodian,” Armstrong said. “Everybody is a person and respecting everyone for who they are has made a difference in my life.”
Garcia also asked what Armstrong would do to learn about the community and form necessary relationships, being the “new kid on the block.”
She responded, she would attend everything in the community and at the University. As for relationships, she believed that showing her authentic self was the best thing to do.
“I want them to see that I’m willing to learn and I’m willing to put in the effort to make those relationships, and so showing up is the first step in that,” Armstrong said.
When the forum ended, they thanked everyone once more for attending the event. Everyone took some time to greet each other and converse before leaving.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Due to time constraints in scheduling, The Bridge was only able to attend one of the three candidates’ visits. The Bridge’s selection to attend Armstrong’s visit should not be considered an endorsement of this candidate over any other candidate. The selection was merely due to scheduling.]
