December 11, 2025 – David Manchee, Amarillo ISD Human Resources Director, Secondary Personnel, was awarded the 2025 Dr. Mary Hopkins Personnel Administrator of the Year award by Texas Association of School Personnel Administrators (TASPA) Executive Director Chandelle Crane during the annual TASPA conference.

From TASPA:

“Serving in Human Resources for six years has made him well versed in policy and laws. He meets with prospective teachers at the beginning of their journeys and encourages them. He listens to struggling teachers and offers ways where they can improve and be the teacher they want to be. He also is able to have those hard conversations when needed and treats the employee with dignity and respect.

The Amarillo ISD HR Team thrives under his leadership, and he is a true resource to others. He has a servant leader’s heart that he extends to everyone in the district, the Amarillo community, and across the state of Texas.

He is a quiet and giving leader. He doesn’t do all that he does for recognition but instead because he wants to serve others. When he attends a TASPA conference, he does not see it as a welcome break from the office. He is fabulous at networking, sharing and learning from others while in attendance. If there is something with which TASPA needs assistance, he will usually be the first to volunteer.”

• Manchee has served Amarillo ISD since 1999. For four years, he served as a teacher and coach at Amarillo High School.
   
• He motivated students on and off the field to set goals and obtain them.
   
• As a respected math teacher, his students scored at the highest level because of his instructional methods.
   
• He served as Assistant Principal, Associate Principal and Principal before becoming the Director of Secondary Personnel for Amarillo ISD in 2019.

The Personnel Administrator of the Year Award recognizes an individual who has been a TASPA member for at least three years and who has at least five years of experience in Human Resources. The person must possess leadership ability, a high degree of personal and professional integrity, and the ability to recruit members to the organization, and he/she volunteers to support our activities. Additionally, the individual must demonstrate high involvement in the human resources TASPA community both at their TASPA regional level and statewide and possess solid skills and understanding in matters pertaining to human resources and personnel administration.