From Alumnus to Alumni Director

Hugh Daschbach ’95 B.S. Business, Religion

On Feb. 29, Hugh Daschbach stepped into the Trinity Alumni Relations Office, not as a chapter volunteer or visiting alumnus, but as the new senior director, responsible for interacting with 29,000 alumni around the world and 22 (and counting) active chapters. It seemed a bit daunting at first. “I have profound respect for my predecessors in this role,” Hugh notes humbly. “I’ve known (former alumni directors) Bonnie Flake and Mary Kay Cooper for many years, but until I sat in their office I definitely didn’t have a full appreciation for the intensity of the work that comes along with the job.”

Although Hugh has lots of ideas, making small tweaks to programming, he has primarily spent his first seven months observing, listening, and learning. “My main goal is to find out how and where our alumni want to meaningfully engage with Trinity and then do my best to meet them there, ” he says. “If we can all get on the same page, we have enormous potential to help the University, enhance the value of our degrees, and find great satisfaction in the work we do together as alumni.”

To understand Hugh, you should know he hails from Hammond, La., close enough to New Orleans to have absorbed NOLA’s “Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler” ethos that celebrates food, music, and family, all of which remain important to him to this day. He attended Trinity with his twin brother Joe and majored in business. As a product of 12 years of Catholic school, he was intrigued by other religions and cultures, so much so that after religion professors Randy Nadeau and MacKenzie Brown’s first-year course in Asian Religion he was hooked. “Before I knew it, I had a second major in religion.”

He also played soccer as a first-year student and helped found Turbulence, Trinity’s ultimate frisbee club team that still plays today. He pledged Kappa Kappa Delta and maintains close friendships with members all over the Greek community.

An outgoing personality and high energy level helped Hugh turn his work-study job in Trinity’s Office of Conferences and Special Programs into an event-planning job right out of school. After involvement with a few entrepreneurial endeavors and selling a small business, he went to work for San Antonio’s luxury Hotel Emma in the booming Pearl complex.

As culinary concierge for the new venture, Hugh was responsible for ensuring that guests and visitors encountered a warm, inviting, casually elegant ambiance and enjoyed a truly fine dining and travel experience. Hotel Emma was an instant success, drawing raves throughout the travel and hospitality industries, and Hugh is incredibly and justifiably proud of the work he and his team did there.

When an opportunity rose at Trinity to lead the Alumni Relations Office, Hugh, who had remained close to his alma mater through Board and Chapter activities, was excited to reinvigorate the program and stepped up to the challenge. “I believe in the mission of the University, and I believe the current leadership is ready to take Trinity to new heights,” he says.

Looking forward to his first Alumni Weekend as director, Hugh is planning to consolidate some activities in a few key central locations “so we can all celebrate together.” Friday night’s opening party will be held with the soccer team at the Meadows Pavilion. On Saturday, the morning’s Alumni College and the afternoon’s tailgate party and Greek carnival are designed to provide great opportunities for fun, multigenerational celebrations.

When he finds a quiet moment to spare, Hugh enjoys cooking and the energy that comes from sharing a meal with friends and family. He has a daughter, and along with his girlfriend and her children, they often host friends for meals. A live music buff, he tries to get out for that when he can, and he visits his family in the Bayou State several times a year. He also enjoys traveling, noting, “That’s been one of the most interesting parts of this new job,” but he is definitely a “Southern boy at heart.”

Right now, Hugh says, “I’m incredibly proud to be back at Trinity and I want to invite my fellow alumni to play an active role in writing the next chapter in Trinity’s journey. Trinity is a world-class institution and our alumni reflect that. It is an exciting time to be in San Antonio, it’s an exciting time to be working under President Danny Anderson, and with the help of our alumni community, it is an increasingly exciting time to be a Trinity Tiger.”