Trinity University proudly announces the appointment of three new members to its Board of Trustees: John Brozovich, Sally Deitch M’03, and John Thornton ’87. The new Trustees join a roster of 35 Board Members and are distinguished by both their professional careers and personal perspectives.
John Brozovich is president and chief executive officer of The Gambrinus Company, a leader in the craft beer industry. Through its affiliated companies, Gambrinus owns and operates the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, Texas—brewer of the iconic Shiner Bock—and the Trumer Brewery in Berkeley, California. As CEO, Brozovich oversees and manages all brewery operations, sales, marketing, financial, legal, and administrative functions of the company. Prior to joining Gambrinus, Brozovich practiced corporate and securities law at the Dallas office of the international law firm of Jones Day. He received his Bachelor of Arts in classical studies with a minor in Spanish from Georgetown University and his J.D. from the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, where he was a member of the SMU Law Review Association. Brozovich also serves on the Board of Regents of Georgetown University and the Board of Early Matters San Antonio, and he is a past Board Chair of Teach for America San Antonio. He resides in San Antonio with his wife, Carla, and their two children.
Sally Deitch M’03, MSN, MHA, RN, FACHE, serves as executive vice president for Nursing and Operations Infrastructure at Ascension, the nation’s largest Catholic nonprofit health system. Deitch has executive responsibility for leading Ascension’s operations, strategic integration, nursing practice, and ambulatory practice management, and she has responsibility for Ascension subsidiaries Medxcel Facilities Management and The Resource Group. Formerly, Deitch served in multiple executive roles at Tenet and HCA. She is the former president of the National Association of Latino Healthcare Executives and former chair of the Texas Hospital Association, and she is a board member of the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board and a member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in nursing from the University of Texas at El Paso and a Master of Health Care Administration from Trinity University. In 2018, she was honored with Trinity’s Dean Leonard A. Duce Award in recognition of outstanding leadership and significant contributions to the health care field.
John Thornton ’87, in a career spanning venture capital, private equity, and nonprofit media, has spent the past 30 years helping entrepreneurs realize their visions. In 1991, Thornton joined Austin Ventures (AV), which became the largest regional capital firm in the U.S. In 2017, he co-founded Elsewhere Partners, a boutique software investment firm that acquires bootstrapped companies in non-coastal markets. In 2008, Thornton founded the Texas Tribune, the largest local news organization established anywhere in the world during the 21st century and the winner of the first Peabody Award for an interactive news feature. In 2018, he co-founded the American Journalism Project (AJP), a first-of-its-kind venture philanthropy firm dedicated to starting and growing local news organizations. Thornton co-chaired the capital campaign for Ballet Austin and is a former board member of The Entrepreneurs Foundation, Contemporary Austin, and The City, a nonprofit news organization in New York City where he was a founding investor. Thornton is a graduate of the Stanford Graduate School of Business and of Trinity University, where he was named Distinguished Alumnus in 2015. He lives in Austin with his wife and two boys.
The Board also welcomes Ted W. Beneski as chair, Erin Baker ’99 as vice chair and chair-elect, and Jeff Mueller ’00 as treasurer.
Ted W. Beneski is the chief executive officer and managing partner of Insight Equity Holdings. Further, he is chairman of the board or vice chairman of various Insight Equity companies, including Versatile Processing Group, Dustex Holdings, Panolam, VirTex Holdings, Eddy Packing, Strauss Brands, CSAT Holdings, and Easy Way Holdings. Beneski is a graduate of Harvard Business School with a Master of Business Administration and Amherst College with a bachelor’s degree in economics. Beneski is also a Trustee of Amherst College. He and his wife, Laurie, are parents of two Trinity graduates, Classes of 2011 and 2014.
Beneski takes the helm from Melody B. Meyer ’79, who served as chair from 2020-23. While chair, Meyer helped guide Trinity through the challenges of COVID-19 and the impacts on facilities from extreme winter conditions in the 2021 winter storm. Doing what she does best— “creating advantage from change”—she helped steward the renovations of the Halsell and Chapman Centers, saw the construction of Dicke Hall and Beneski Parkway, transitioned leadership with a new provost and president, and helped Trinity receive its first ranking as a national liberal arts and science institution. Meyer continues on the Board as chair of the Governance Committee.
Erin Baker ’99 is a senior managing director of investment and advisory firm Guggenheim Partners and a member of its Senior Leadership Committee. She has held numerous roles during her 20-year tenure at the firm and currently serves as deputy chief administrative officer of the firm’s holding company as well as secretary to its Audit Committee. She is a founding member of and currently chairs the steering committee of the Women’s Innovation and Inclusion Network (WIIN), the firm’s employee resource group that serves as a strategic adviser on targeted initiatives in support of gender equality, gender transparency, and management accountability in the workplace. Baker received a Bachelor of Arts from Trinity University in anthropology and a master's degree in economic science from University College Dublin in Dublin, Ireland. She is a past president of Trinity’s Alumni Association. Raised on a ranch in New Mexico, Baker has spent her professional career in Chicago and New York, and she currently resides in San Antonio and Marfa, Texas.
Jeff Mueller ’00 is a partner at Polen Capital, the co-portfolio manager of the firm’s Global Growth strategy, and an adjunct faculty member at Columbia Business School. Prior to joining Polen Capital, Mueller spent 10 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, during which he flew more than 200 combat missions in F/A-18s. Mueller received his Bachelor of Arts in communication and business administration from Trinity, where he was captain of the men’s tennis team, an All-American student-athlete, and a member of the 2000 NCAA Championship team. He was also active in successful veteran recruitment and inclusion programming at Columbia. He currently resides in Florida with his wife, Maureen Mueller ’02, and two children.
Trinity University is governed by up to 36 Trustees who are responsible for establishing policies for the governance of the University. Trinity is committed to recruiting a Board that represents a variety of life experiences, perspectives, and talents. The University values the diversity of thought and experience brought by these new members and continues to benefit from the leadership of a highly effective and engaged Board of Trustees.
You might be interested in
