by CMS Education Foundation
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Four honorees to be recognized at annual banquet
on June 20, 2026 at the Clovis Civic Center
The CMS Education Foundation is proud to announce the 2026 Hall of Honor recipients. Four distinguished leaders to be recognized at the annual banquet honoring excellence in the category of Business and Industry and the prestigious Top Cat award.
The honorees will be celebrated during the annual Hall of Honor Banquet on Saturday, June 20, 2026, 12:00 p.m., at the Clovis Civic Center. Tickets are available to purchase online at Eventbrite.
Business and Industry Award Recipients
Galen Gisler
A 1968 graduate of Clovis High School and former research scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Galen Gisler built a distinguished career in computational astrophysics, authoring more than 70 peer-reviewed scientific publications — including two featured on the cover of Nature magazine.
His team’s groundbreaking 2002 computer simulations of the Chicxulub asteroid impact remain a landmark achievement in high-performance computing. Gisler was also part of the team credited with the first detection of an optical transient from a cosmic event in 1999, work that contributed to the founding of Fenton Hill Observatory in Los Alamos.
Today, he continues to support science education and community engagement through planetarium volunteer work and service with the J. Robert Oppenheimer Memorial Committee.
Joshua Bryant
Clovis native and 1998 Clovis High School graduate, Joshua Bryant transformed a standout athletic career — including recognition as the 1998 FCA Athlete of the Year — into decades of achievement in business and coaching.
In 2013, Bryant founded a packaging and distribution company in Indianapolis specializing in temperature-controlled pharmaceutical and food products. The company now employs more than 75 people.
Over 33 seasons of coaching, Bryant served as an assistant coach on three state championship football teams at Carmel High School and was named Indiana Golf Coach of the Year in 2017. He also remains actively involved in volunteer and mentorship efforts supporting homelessness outreach organizations in the Indianapolis area.
Ryan Ratledge
A Clovis High School class of 1992 alumnus with more than 30 years of experience in the rail industry, Ryan Ratledge is recognized as one of the nation’s leading freight rail executives.
Beginning his career as a switchman with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, Ratledge advanced to terminal superintendent before leading several successful railroad transformations. As President and CEO of Central Maine & Quebec Railway, he helped guide the company to recognition as Railway Age’s 2016 Regional Railroad of the Year prior to its acquisition by Canadian Pacific in 2020.
He currently serves as President and CEO of Pinsly Railroad Company and Gulf & Atlantic Railways, LLC.
Top Cat Award
David Briseño
David Briseño has dedicated more than 40 years to serving children and families in Clovis and across eastern New Mexico. During his 26-year career with Clovis Municipal Schools, he served as a bilingual teacher, elementary principal, and Director of Federal and Bilingual Programs.
Since joining La Casa Family Health Center in 2009 as Director of Outreach, Briseño has helped establish school-based wellness and dental clinics and launched a summer food program that has supported children throughout the region for the past 15 years.
Briseño also founded the National Spanish Spelling Bee in 2010 and has received numerous honors throughout his career, including the 2017 National Federation of High School Sports Football Official of the Year Award, 2023 NMABE Ben Luján Lifetime Achievement Award, and the 2026 City of Clovis Lifetime Achievement Award.
In addition to honoring these accomplished individuals, the banquet will recognize two Clovis High School seniors selected as recipients of this year’s CMS Education Foundation Scholarship. The scholarship recipients will be announced in the coming weeks.
The CMS Education Foundation remains committed to investing in the next generation of Clovis leaders by celebrating academic excellence, professional achievement, and community service.
The Clovis Municipal Schools Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing educational opportunities in Clovis Municipal Schools by funding classroom innovations, enrichment programs, and community partnerships.
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