Notable UHV Alumni
There are more than 23,000 UHV alumni around the world, each working in a variety of fields and driven to be the best they can be. At every commencement ceremony, hundreds of students are welcomed into the UHV Alumni Association. UHV is proud of the accomplishments of our alumni, and we encourage all our alumni to keep in touch with their alma mater and with their fellow alumni by joining UHV Connect at www.uhvconnect.org. Through UHV Connect, you can keep up with the latest UHV news, donate, sign up to volunteer or for alumni events, and more.
Here are just a few of our notable UHV alumni.
Mary J. Klutts (1987, 1989) is the Library of Congress’ CFO and also works with Appropriations Subcommittees of the House and Senate for the Library. She advises the Executive Committee and is the primary advisor to the Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden and the Principal Deputy Librarian Mark Sweeney on all financial matters for the library. Ms. Klutts oversees approximately $900 million in annual appropriated funding and an additional $150 million in gift and trust funding. She is the widow of Randall Klutts who also graduated from the University of Houston-Victoria, and lives in Laurel, Md.
Constance Filley Johnson (1993) is the elected Criminal District Attorney of Victoria County, Texas. Following a decade-long career in education (B.S. UHV, 1993), Mrs. Johnson went on to obtain a Juris Doctor from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law in Houston in 2005. As the chief prosecutor for all criminal cases filed in Victoria County, Mrs. Johnson oversees a staff of 26 who work closely with local, state and federal law enforcement to protect the community through the prosecution of crime. Mrs. Johnson has been married for 30 years to George H. Johnson. They have two grown children and one grandchild and reside in Victoria.
Ben Galvan (1994) is the president and owner of CivilCorp LLC, a Texas-based civil engineering and land surveying company with offices in Victoria, Houston, Fulshear, Austin and Corpus Christi. His firm has been providing high-quality civil design and surveying services for more than 15 years across the state of Texas. CivilCorp has more than 110 employees and specializes in transportation engineering. Ben was named UHV’s 2019 Distinguished Alumnus and is a member of the President’s Regional Advisory Board.
Most Reverend Gary W. Janak, JCL(1997) was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Victoria in Texas on May 14, 1988. He has served as pastor in Yoakum, El Campo and Victoria, including Rector of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Victory. In addition to his parish assignments, he was appointed as diocesan Vicar General and Chancellor. He is the co-founder and past executive director of The Emmaus Center, the counseling and spiritual direction center for the Diocese of Victoria. On February 15, 2021, he was appointed auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of San Antonio, where he serves as Chancellor and Episcopal Vicar for Vocations and Priestly Formation. Bishop Janak holds graduate degrees in theology, canon law and counseling and is licensed by the State of Texas as a professional counselor. He graduated from the University of Houston-Victoria in 1997.
Ernie Zuniga(1998) is a longtime Texas journalist. From 2006 to 2023, he woke up San Antonio area residents bright and early every weekday as the anchor and co-host of FOX San Antonio’s highly rated morning show, “FOX News First.” Before that, he spent nine years as a sports anchor and reporter in San Antonio; Phoenix, Ariz.; and in his hometown of Victoria. Zuniga attended Texas A&M University and graduated with a degree in Communications from the University of Houston-Victoria. He is also a graduate of St. Joseph High School in Victoria. Ernie has devoted much of his time in recent years to several nonprofits, including the March of Dimes, 100 Club of San Antonio and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He is also a member of the Rey Feo Consejo Educational Foundation. Every year, Zuniga emcees dozens of events for these and other causes. In 2018, Ernie was crowned “King of the Riverwalk,” after helping to raise more than $20,000 for the San Antonio River Walk Association. In 2019, Zuniga was presented with a national award from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for Excellence in Television Promotion. Ernie has been married to his wife Tami since 1999. Together, they have a teen daughter Ava, and twins, Luke and Madeline.
The author of thirteen books, Van G. Garrett’s debut picture book, Kicks, an ode to the flyest shoes and those who wear them, was published in 2022 (Versify/HarperCollins). His second picture book, Juneteenth, also published by Versify/HarperCollins, was published May 2023. He earned a B.A. in mass media and English from Houston Baptist University in 1999, a MAIS in literature and African American studies from the University of Houston-Victoria in 2006, and POST MAIS in African American Sociolinguistics in African Philosophy (2008) from the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. He also attended the International Summer Study Abroad Program at the University of Ghana, Accra and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana.
Robert Royer (2014) is the founder/president of Building Brands Marketing, a marketing consulting agency located in Victoria and founded in 2018. They are recognized Google Partners as well as Constant Contact Partners. Royer’s company has grown to more than 25 employees in that time frame, and he has remained committed to Victoria and creating jobs in the marketing community. The firm’s rapid growth has been highlighted in several publications. Royer was born in Houston and moved to Victoria in 2012 to attend the University of Houston-Victoria. After graduating in 2014 with his BBA and a concentration in marketing, he has worked in leadership positions in local media and the advertising industry in Victoria. Royer is Google Ads Certified in four areas: Search, Measurement, Analytics and Shopping.
Loveth Ohenhen (2018) is a Systems Engineer at Dell Technologies. She conducts analysis, design, and development of fully integrated technology solutions in the edge, core datacenter and cloud landscapes. “I have a unique opportunity in my role, to turn problems into opportunities. I am also driven by enthusiasm for helping organizations through their digital transformation journey, leveraging the best technology solutions and processes for their specific IT objectives to achieve successful business outcomes.” She graduated with a Master of Science in computer information systems and was part of a research study in social robotics from the University of Houston-Victoria.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.