Dear AgNext Community,  

I write these words today with a heavy heart that is full of gratitude remembering a wonderful friend, mentor and colleague who helped build AgNext. Dr Thomas Portillo D.V.M. or Tom as he was more commonly known, received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Colorado State University in 1997 and quickly became one of the most influential veterinary professionals in the U.S. cattle feeding industry. He spent much of his career focused on tireless efforts to advance livestock health and held a variety of positions in the beef industry and veterinary professional community that helped share best practices for animal care and welfare. 

In 2021, Tom became a founding member of CSU’s AgNext Industry Innovation Group, and was an invaluable contributor to the success of our program.  He provided us with grounded grass-roots advice as we began to shape a new “way of doing” in academia that engaged our stakeholders from ideation to execution and final delivery of solutions that will, hopefully, make a difference. Tom demonstrated respect and authenticity in his day-to-day interactions, the first to shake and lend a hand, he never missed an opportunity to interact with our team and his insights, advice and words of affirmation will be dearly missed by our CSU AgNext family. I will forever remember Tom’s response when asked to offer insights on what AgNext meant to him after our first full year of existence. His response was one of emotion and admiration when he said, “Proud.  I am proud to be a CSU Alumni.” He was excited to see his alma mater be on the cutting-edge of the cattle industry and I will forever remember that as one of the most important and meaningful compliments of my career. Tom always challenged us to prioritize animal health and welfare in all of our research in an effort to define those metrics against sustainable outcomes, today this approach is imbedded in every live animal project we conduct.  Healthy and comfortable animals mean more efficient production  at all levels and this is exactly what Tom strived for in his work – continuous improvement.   

I have spent much of the last few weeks remembering what a great man Tom was and it’s hard to believe he is gone, he meant so much to the beef industry, to our AgNext family, his friends and family and to Colorado State University. Personally, Tom gave me opportunities as a young professional woman that were remarkable and, in many cases, unmatched. As I have shared my heartache with friends, I have heard countless stories of him opening doors for women, many times even surpassing an opportunity for his own professional growth. “He was my hero” and “Tom saw the big picture – he did the right thing every time” were echoed to me countless times. 

Dr. Tom Portillo lived a legacy that is to be admired and I am not sure the space he has left personally or professionally will ever be filled – he was truly a remarkable individual and one I will forever recall with the greatest amount of respect and gratitude for having had the pleasure to both know and work with him. AgNext worked with Jacque Portillo, Tom’s wife and partner, to ensure his legacy will now live on permanently at Colorado State University with the establishment of the Thomas A. Portillo Memorial Scholarship. I welcome you to join us in honoring Tom by contributing to something he cared deeply about: building up and empowering the next generation of animal health professionals.    

Sincerely,  

Dr. Kim Stackhouse-Lawson  

Director, AgNext  

Funds donated will support students pursuing education in livestock management and animal health career at Colorado State University. Please see this link for more information and to contribute.