Kevin Bergner ’79, president and CEO for Goodwill Industries of San Antonio, has been named one of 30 “Influential Leaders” by AACSB International, the longest serving global association dedicated to advancing management education and the agency that accredits business schools across 52 countries and territories.
Launched in 2015 to honor notable alumni from AACSB-accredited business schools, including Trinity, the AACSB Influential Leaders initiative continues to recognize business school graduates for the positive impact they make on society, and the inspiring example they set for others. The honor recognizes that Bergner is a “change maker and business pioneer” who drives positive change in the communities he serves.
Bergner, who was the 2012-13 recipient of the Trinity Distinguished Alumni Award, is a former major general in the U.S. Army. His 30 years of service included deployments to Germany, Bosnia, Qatar, and three deployments to Iraq. In his last assignment, he was the Army's chief of public affairs, responsible for policy, strategy, and execution of communications, including the Army's initial engagement in social media. As a brigadier general, he served in the White House on the National Security Council staff as a special assistant to the president of the United States.
Upon retiring from the Army, Bergner became the chief administrative officer and then president of the USAA Property and Casualty Insurance Group, where he focused on transformational change and excellence in customer service.
At Goodwill, Bergner is part of a team that annually serves 24,000 people who have barriers to employment or education and, in so doing, helps change lives through the power of work. Goodwill serves a 24-county area with 20 retail stores, 13 employment centers, and three certificate-granting academies. The team also administers 18 contracts with U.S. military and federal agencies that provide a range of services, including document management, landscaping and custodial services, and transcription services.
Bergner was nominated for the honor by L. Paige Fields, dean of the School of Business at Trinity, where he earned a bachelor’s degree. He also received a master’s degree in Public Administration from City University of New York. Fields called Bergner “a man who leads by example” and who “raises the standard of performance and character of everyone who works with and around him.”
His work with Trinity University includes funding an annual business ethics symposium for Trinity and the San Antonio business community and teaching a financial ethics and professionalism course. He also is a Business Advisory Council member, often offering to provide help to colleagues.
“The 2016 Influential Leaders illustrates how the power of a business degree goes beyond—beyond industries, reaching lives in every part of the world—pioneering change, fostering global exchange, and improving the quality of life,” said Thomas R. Robinson, president and chief executive officer of AACSB International. “I would like to thank Kevin Bergner for exemplifying how business graduates can be a positive force in society, and congratulate Trinity University’s School of Business for its role in helping to develop the knowledge, skills, and fortitude needed to address some of the toughest challenges we face today.”
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