Posed photo of Kelly Damphousse, Richard Castro, and other participants

2026 Distinguished Alumni Benefit Gala

Saturday, May 2nd, 2026

LBJ Student Center

LBJ Ballroom

301 Student Center Dr

San Marcos, TX 78666

Previous Honorees

Headshot of Erika Aguilar

Erika Aguilar

Executive Producer of Morning Edition and Up First on National Public Radio 
Headshot of Pablo Mercado

Pablo Mercado

Co-founder and Head of Research and Development at Vox Media 
Headshot of Tomas Morin

Tomas Morin

Award-winning author and Assistant Professor of Creative Writing 

Headshot of Diana Lopez

Diana Lopez

Award-winning author and Vice President of the Texas Institute of Letters
Headshot of Rose Vela

The Honorable Rose Vela

Director of the President's Commission on White House Fellowships 
Headshot of Todd Votteler

Dr. Todd Votteler

President of Collaborative Water Resolution LLC and Water Opinions LLC
Headshot of Christian Bolden

The Honorable Dr. Christian Bolden

Interim Chair in the Criminology and Justice Department at Loyola University 
Headshot of Myric Polhemus

Myric Polhemus

Director of Talent, HR Technology, and Partner Learning Development at H-E-B
Headshot of Jeff Wilson

The Honorable Dr. Jeff Wilson

Award-winning educator, entrepeneur, and founder of Kasita 
Headshot of Oliver Del Cid

The Honorable Oliver Del Cid

Currently serves as ambassadaor to Mexico for Belize 
Headshot of Latrice Hertzler

Latrice Hertzler

President and owner of Future-Link Technologies, Inc. 
Headshot of Fred Guerra

The Honorable Fred Guerra

Retired policy analyst of government relations for the Children's Health System of Texas
Headshot of Beverly Tomek

Dr. Beverly C. Tomek

Associate Provost for University College and Associate Professor of History at the University of Houston-Victoria 
Headshot of Andrea Powell

Andrea C. Powell

Executive Director and Co-founder of FairGirls.org and adjunct professor at the Elliot School of International Affairs
Headshot of Pamela Meyer

Dr. Pamela S. Meyer

Regents Professor in the Department of Psychology and Sociology at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Texas 
Headshot of Sonia Diaz

Sonia V. Diaz

Director of Public Relations and Digital Strategies at Balsera Communications
Headshot of James Taylor

James S. Taylor

Founding partner of Vianovo in Austin, Texas
Headshot of Diane Hirsch

Diane Hirsch

VP of Litigation for Valero Energy Corporation
Headshot of Jessica Karr

Jessie Karr

Founder of Coyote Ventures and developer at Impossible Foods

Headshot of Jason Weiserma

Dr. Jason Weiserma

Director of Forensic Anthropology and Emergency Management at HCIFS

Headshot of Barbara Smith

Barbara Smith

Vice President of Peace Programs at The Carter Center 

Headshot of Geoff Connor

Geoff Connor

BA International Studies '85
Headshot of Chance Sparks

Chance Sparks

BA Geography '04
Headshot of Sandra Carey

Sandra Carey

PhD Social Psychology '79. Author, consultant, teacher, and retired U.S. Navy Captain.