Beta Gamma Sigma and Awards Recognition

Denise M. Trauth became president of Texas State University in 2002.

Before joining Texas State, Dr. Trauth was provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in English at the College of Mount St. Joseph, a master’s degree in journalism at The Ohio State University, and a Ph.D. in mass communications at The University of Iowa.

She is married to Dr. John Huffman, professor emeritus at Bowling Green State University and UNC Charlotte. They have two daughters, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Under Dr. Trauth’s leadership, the university has experienced its largest construction program since being founded in 1899; became a federal Hispanic-Serving Institution; was designated a Texas Emerging Research University; has been reclassified as an “R2: Doctoral University – Higher Research Activity” under the Carnegie Classification system, and moved to the FBS subdivision of NCAA Division I.

Dr. Trauth is a member and former president of the Austin Area Research Organization, serves on the Board of Trustees of the Southwest Research Institute, is a member of the Philosophical Society of Texas, and the Texas Legislative Conference Advisory Committee, is a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas' San Antonio Branch board of directors, and is former President of the Greater San Marcos Partnership. She currently is the vice-chair of the NCAA Division I Board of Directors, is chair of the NCAA Division I Finance Committee, is a member of the Division I Administrative Committee and serves as the immediate Past President of the Sun Belt Conference Board of Directors. She also has served on the American Council on Education’s Commission on Women in Higher Education and serves as the presidential sponsor of that organization’s Texas Network for Texas Women in Higher Education.

Dr. Trauth has provided outstanding leadership and support for the McCoy College over her tenure including serving on the McCoy College Foundation Board of Directors.

Howard N. Baker graduated cum laude in 1986 from Southwest Texas State University with a degree in finance and economics. Howard has given many years of service to the credit union industry. For example, he served the National Credit Union Administration for 14 years in Alexandria, VA; in San Antonio, TX for Security Service Federal Credit Union for 15 years; and now holds the position as President and Chief Executive Officer for Greater Texas/Aggieland Federal Credit Union in Austin, TX.

Howard also is generous with his commitment to service focusing on education, homelessness and economic development. He has served a variety of community organizations on advisory boards and in leadership roles including Back on My Feet, the New Braunfels Economics Development Foundation, Ethics in Business San Antonio, Christian Financial Association of America, San Antonio Economic Development Foundation, Seton Home for Pregnant Women, among others. He has been a long-time member of the Texas State McCoy College of Business Advisory Board. 

The McCoy College has benefited from his involvement in numerous ways from his support for the Texas State 3-Day Start-Up program that helps guide entrepreneurs to his establishment of the Tommy Dee Seargeant/Greater Texas Federal Credit Union Endowed Scholarship for a McCoy College student. It was named after Texas State alumnus Tommy Seargeant, who retried in 2015 as Great Texas’ CEO after 41 years of service to the credit union, its members and employees.