Editorial Staff

Born and raised in Fredericksburg, Texas, Dunae Reader ’15 graduated summa cum laude from Texas A&M University in 2014 with a communication degree. She interned for the Texas A&M Foundation’s marketing department as an undergraduate, primarily writing articles for Spirit magazine. While at Texas A&M, she studied abroad in Cyprus, completed an internship in Washington, D.C., worked as a teaching assistant and participated in the MSC L.T. Jordan Institute for International Awareness. She was hired as managing editor of Spirit in August 2014 and named editor in March 2015. In addition to overseeing Spirit, she oversees the Foundation's monthly e-newsletter, annual report and advertising efforts. Aside from writing, Dunae enjoys traveling, reading, DIY projects, anything mid-century modern, and trying new recipes and restaurants.

Born and raised on her family’s cattle farm in Chiefland, Florida, Torie Noellsch grew up with a love for storytelling. Torie attended Troy University in Troy, Alabama, where she was first published in the university’s Alumni Magazine her junior year. After graduating magna cum laude with a degree in print journalism and public relations in 2007, she worked as Farm Credit of North Florida’s marketing manager and managing editor of the association’s quarterly publication: Leader magazine. Subsequent careers have included marketing of artisan cheese, robotic milking technology, analytical laboratory instrumentation and more. Torie joined the Foundation in September 2019 to oversee planned giving marketing efforts, which include serving as the managing editor for Spirit of Sharing and Gift Legacy, the Foundation’s monthly planned giving e-newsletter. Off the clock, Torie enjoys spending time with her husband and sassy toddler, traveling, running, listening to live music, meeting new people and reading a good book.

Bailey Payne ’19 joined the Texas A&M Foundation as a student worker in the spring of 2016. Born in Bremerton, Washington, and raised in College Station, Texas, Bailey grew up around Aggieland’s unique culture and spent his high school years producing amateur short films. Bailey received a telecommunication media studies degree with a minor in English in 2019. Outside of the Texas A&M Foundation, Bailey received the Gordone Award for Poetry in 2018 and has written two books of poetry. When he’s not writing, Bailey is obsessively following college football and absorbing every good story he comes across.

Mamie Hertel ’24 is a first-generation Aggie from Moore, Montana, where she grew up on a small farm and ranch. As a transfer student from Montana State University, she began her journey as an Aggie in spring 2021 after serving as the 2019-2020 National FFA Central Region vice president. Mamie joined the Texas A&M Foundation in July 2021 and is pursuing a degree in agricultural communications and journalism. She developed a love for writing at a young age by writing poetry, but most recently wrote for the National Association of Wheat Growers as a summer intern through the Agricultural and Natural Resources Policy Program. On campus, Mamie is involved in the Student Government Association as the executive vice president of operations and worked for Texas 4-H as a student technician. In her free time, Mamie enjoys reading, running and walking her miniature dachshund, Winnie.