Get to Know Your Newly Appointed ARC/STSA and SASA Board Members

The ARC/STSA Board of Directors recently welcomed three new members: Alicia Buck, MS, BAAS, CST; Jeff Feix, LVN, CSFA, CST, FAST; and Antionette Trujillo-Fergus, MBA, CRCST, CST; and new member of the board’s Subcommittee on Accreditation for Surgical Assisting (SASA), Lydell “Dale” Powell, AAS, Th.A., CSFA, CST, to serve on the SASA. Learn more about these individuals below!

Alicia Buck, MS, BAAS, CST

Alicia Buck is the program director and an associate professor of the surgical technology program at Temple College in Temple, Texas. She has been a surgical technologist since 2011 and continues to practice PRN at Baylor Scott & White Memorial. Her background of practice is cardio-thoracic and vascular surgery, along with plastics and trauma surgery. She worked as a CNA and a dental assistant before finding her true passion in surgery, following in her great-aunt’s footsteps.

Buck has been a surgical technology educator since 2013 and became director in 2018, all while receiving her bachelor’s degree and Master of Science in Organizational Learning and Technology from Texas A&M University in 2019. She has served on several Temple College committees including the Student Success Committee, Return to Campus Committee, and most currently the Center for Teaching and Learning Committee.

Buck also participated in state initiatives by serving on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board sub-committee on the review of the Workforce Education Course Manual for surgical technology and as a Texas Community College Teacher Association Faculty Fellow.  She has also been active within the profession and education of surgical technology educators, speaking at both AccredX and AST events, and has served as an ARC/STSA Site Evaluator since 2022.

Jeff Feix, LVN, CSFA, CST, FAST          

Jeff Feix is the supervisor and coordinator for the Maplewood Ambulatory Surgery Center located in Wichita Falls, Texas. When not completing administrative work, Jeff assists with patient care throughout the perioperative setting.

In years prior, Feix worked as a CST and CSFA in an assortment of specialties at a Level II trauma center which included general, orthopedics, and neurosurgery. While working as a first assistant in orthopedics, he was responsible for preoperative and postoperative patient care in the clinic, as well as classroom and clinical training of surgical technologists in a hospital-based program.

Feix continued his career as the program director and instructor of the surgical technology program at Vernon College in Wichita Falls, Texas, for 20 years, taking pride in the startup and abundance of responsibilities associated with maintaining a successful program. Feix also served as a past member of the AST Board of Directors.

Feix is an active advocate participating in various community service organizations that include missions with local children’s shelters, adult missions, and Habitat for Humanity.

Antoinette Trujillo-Fergus, MBA, CRCST, CST        

Antoinette Trujillo-Fergus is the program director and department chair of the Surgical Technology and Sterile Processing programs at Pikes Peak State College in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Colorado State University-Pueblo and is credentialed as a Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) and Certified Registered Central Service Technician (CRCST).

In addition to her leadership role in academia, Trujillo-Fergus serves as the Treasurer of the Colorado/Wyoming State Assembly of the Association of Surgical Technologists (AST). Her passion for advancing the field of surgical technology is reflected in her continuous efforts to improve program efficiency and raise awareness about the crucial role surgical technologists play in healthcare.

Outside of work, Trujillo-Fergus can be found cheering on her kids at their sporting events or curled up with a good book. Her favorite holiday is Halloween, embodying her fun and spirited outlook on life.

Subcommittee of Accreditation for Surgical Assisting (SASA)

The ARC/STSA Board of Directors appointed and a new member to its Subcommittee on Accreditation for Surgical Assisting (SASA), Lydell Powell, AAS, Th.A., CSFA, CST.

Lydell Powell, AAS, Th.A., CSFA, CST

Lydell “Dale” Powell is the program director of the Surgical First Assist Program and an assistant professor at San Juan College in Farmington, New Mexico, with 25 years of surgical experience as a surgical first assistant and surgical technologist, specializing in Neurosurgery, ENT, and OB/GYN.

Powell began teaching as an adjunct instructor in 2017 for the surgical technology program and in 2018 helped launch the surgical first assist program. In 2019, he was named director of the surgical first assist program and led the program through its initial accreditation process.