Texas Border Business
RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Thursday the promotion of Sara Hernandez from Assistant to Athletic Director for Marketing to Associate Athletic Director for Marketing and Strategic Initiatives.
In her new position, Hernandez will continue to oversee the department’s marketing and promotions efforts while also overseeing strategic initiatives including, but not limited to, increasing the department’s activity throughout the Rio Grande Valley, including on and around the Brownsville campus.
“Sara Hernandez has done an outstanding job marketing UTRGV Athletics as we #RallyTheValley,” UTRGV Deputy Director of Athletics/Chief Revenue Officer Vince Volpe said. “UTRGV Athletics has experienced increased attendance and brand awareness throughout the RGV and state. Sara is a valued member of our department, and this promotion reflects her hard work and passion for our department, the Rio Grande Valley and her alma mater. Sara is a product of our student-athlete experience, and she continues to make a positive impact on our student-athletes. She has a bright future in intercollegiate athletics, and I look forward to working with her in this expanded role which will have a direct impact on our department internally and externally.”
Hernandez has been with the athletic department in various capacities since 2007-08, initially as a track & field student-athlete for four years. She then became a media relations graduate assistant for a year and a half before starting full time as the Athletic Marketing and Promotions Coordinator on January 2, 2013.
“It has been an honor for me to grow with UTRGV and with our department, and I’m grateful for [UTRGV Vice President and Director of Athletics] Chasse [Conque] and Vince’s support to keep developing here,” Hernandez said. “I’m excited for this new opportunity to continue to give back to an institution that has given me so much.”
A native of Matamoros, Mexico, and a graduate of Saint Joseph Academy in Brownsville, Hernandez became a track & field student-athlete during the 2007-08 academic year. She immediately became a major contributor, and even got her name in the program records book a few times. Hernandez finished her track career No. 2 in the indoor 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.23 in 2009, and No. 3 in the outdoor 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:03.69 in 2010.
Despite the amount of time Hernandez put into athletics, she always put the student in student-athlete first. She earned AD Honor Roll honors in both the fall and spring of her senior year and Dean’s List Honors as a sophomore.
She also found time for extracurricular activities, writing for the weekly student newspaper, The Pan American, and a student magazine, The Panorama. Hernandez served as the sports editor of The Pan American as a senior while also serving as the President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and earning GPAs of 3.0 or higher during both semesters.
Hernandez graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism-Advertising/PR, and then earned her Master of Business Administration in Marketing while serving as an athletic media relations graduate assistant.
Hernandez is a proud alum, as she was one of the first members of the Varsity Club, the official organization for all letter winners at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley and its legacy institutions.
