Whenever Diane Kliem hears that her alma mater is doing something exciting, the University of Houston-Victoria alumna wants to be involved.

Diane Kliem

“I believe the university is important to Victoria’s future, and it has certainly made a difference to me,” the Victoria attorney and partner at Kliem & Balusek Attorneys at Law said. “I plan to stay involved one way or another for as long as possible. Being involved in the community is so important, and that includes supporting UHV.”

Kliem will be named the 2024 Distinguished Alumna, the university’s highest alumni award, as part of the 2024 Homecoming Alumni Banquet. During the event, Robert Royer, founder and president of Building Brands Marketing, will be named the 2024 Young Alumnus of the Year.

The two alumni will be recognized during the banquet, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on March 22 in the UHV University North Multi-Purpose Room, 3007 N. Ben Wilson St. The banquet is part of the UHV Homecoming Week festivities from March 18 to 23. Tickets for the event are $30 per person, which includes a catered dinner, a beer and wine reception and an awards presentation for Kliem and Royer. UHV alumni, their friends and families, and community supporters are encouraged to attend the event. Tickets can be purchased online at uhvconnect.org/events.

Kelsey Norgard

“We are so proud to call these two accomplished individuals UHV alumni,” said Kelsey Norgard, UHV director of alumni relations and annual giving. “They continue to positively impact their community and their professions.  Their gracious support has paved the way for our current and future students. We are excited to welcome alumni back to campus during our homecoming festivities. This event continues our 50th anniversary celebration with our alumni and supporters.”

Kliem graduated from UHV in December 1992 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting. She was the first generation in her family to go to college. Today, she is a partner in a successful law firm that focuses on estate planning, business law, real estate and probate. Her firm has been selected as a top firm in the Victoria Advocate’s annual Best of the Best awards for several years in a row.

“Receiving this award from UHV is very meaningful,” she said. “Receiving my degree was a big deal, and being recognized is just as big to me. I know many of the people who have received this award in the past, and to be considered part of that group is very much a compliment.”

As a UHV alumna, Kliem has been involved in several community-focused efforts to support the university’s growth and services. She has served as a member of the UHV President’s Regional Advisory Board since 2021, and was a member of the university’s Here, We Go fundraising committee that helped raise $13 million for the university by 2020 as part of a UH System $1billion fundraising effort. She also works with the UHV Small Business Development Center to offer classes and workshops to others in the community.

Last November, Kliem’s firm also offered a $1,000 donation challenge for the UHV General Scholarship fund if the fund received at least 25 individual gifts. Her firm also offers opportunities for UHV students to come and shadow them during regular workdays.

“Being involved in the community is so important, and the university contributes so much to Victoria’s economic growth and quality of life,” Kliem said. “I love seeing the growth that has occurred at UHV, and I know that one day it will reach its goal of becoming a destination university. I plan to stay involved at UHV in one way or another for years to come. I hope other alumni will do the same.”

Robert Royer

Royer graduated from UHV in December 2014 with a BBA in marketing. He founded his company, Building Brands Marketing, in 2018, and now the company has grown to serve clients across the nation as well as a variety of clients in the Victoria, Katy and Gulf Coast areas.

“It’s extremely humbling to be honored with this award,” Royer said. “It means so much because UHV has had such a pivotal role in my life’s story. I’ve seen others I respect and admire receive this award, and I’m honored and privileged to be part of that group.”

Royer’s early life was a struggle, he said. His father passed away when he was four, and Royer lived with his mother and four sisters for the remainder of his childhood. He had a troubled youth and said he had trouble finding himself. When he was working toward getting his degree at UHV as a young father, there was a period he spent living on friends’ couches trying to land on his feet.

Now, by persevering and learning from those hard circumstances, he is the president and founder of a dynamic marketing company and has begun giving back by getting involved at UHV. He currently is serving as a member of the UHV College of Business Dean’s Advisory Board. He also comes to campus to speak with business classes every year, either during the business college’s Alumni Week event or by invitation of professors. He’s also spoken in the university’s Bridge to Brilliance and Dean’s Distinguished Alumni speaker series.

In addition, his company also offered a $1,000 giving challenge during UHV’s 2023 Giving Tuesday fundraiser to support UHV’s Got Your Six scholarship for military personnel and veterans. Building Brands also has worked with UHV in the past five years to help create videos that share the university’s story.

“It’s been a privilege to work with the university through my career and to be able to come back and encourage others,” Royer said. “It’s amazing to see how my actions helping UHV and in community involvement can have an impact on the future direction of the university, and that makes being an alumnus more meaningful. I want to be able to say I left the university stronger than when I found it.”