With great sadness, we share that Rene M. Garcia passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 22, 2023, surrounded by his family. Rene was larger than life and a friend to everyone he met. His faith, leadership, kindness, consistency, and passion were unmatched. When you were in Rene’s presence, you always felt his genuine compassion and joy in getting to know you.

In founding the DreamOn Group, Rene left a legacy of serving the community he dearly loved. As a leader, Rene took the time to get to know everyone, to listen, guide, mentor, and walk beside you. We are so grateful for the opportunity to dream and plan with him. He lived his life with the purpose of serving others. He used his knowledge of our industry and community relationships to collaborate efforts for a more significant impact on everything he did. Our great city and lives have all been impacted by Rene, and we will forever be grateful. Our hearts and prayers are with his beautiful family, whom he loved immensely.

Rene was engaged in the construction and real estate development industries for over 35 years. He believed in giving back and spent most of his career sharing his experience with small businesses and his profession by assuming leadership roles in industry associations and taking advantage of every opportunity to help establish small business advocacy programs and teaching.

• DreamOn Group
• The Maestro Center
• UTSA Sports
• Outstanding Alumni Award Nominations
• UTSA Alumni Association

Karl Miller-Lugo is the current VP of Development and Alumni Relations at The University of Texas at San Antonio. Prior to this, Karl was with Bentz Whaley Flessner for 3 years, where they served as Vice President. In this role, Karl helped organizations raise more money by conducting sales presentations, providing fundraising training, and unlocking the full potential of organizations. Karl has worked with clients ranging from large research-intensive public universities to small non-profit organizations. Karl has also supported campaigns that have raised over $4 Billion. Celebrating his 5th year at UTSA, Karl has spearheaded the UTSA "Be Bold" Campaign which has raised more than $380MM during his time here. Alumni Engagement is of upmost importance to Karl and his team, and we discuss the upcoming 2024 UTSA "Giving Day" and how alumni have made a huge impact in previous years as well as how they can get engaged this year.

Celebrating his 5th year at UTSA, Karl has spearheaded the UTSA "Be Bold" Campaign which has raised more than $380MM during his time here. Alumni Engagement is of upmost importance to Karl and his team, and we discuss the upcoming 2024 UTSA "Giving Day" and how alumni have made a huge impact in previous years as well as how they can get engaged this year.

• Karl LinkedIn
• UTSA Division of Advancement & Alumni Relations
• "Be Bold" 2023 Impact Report
• UTSA "Be Bold" Giving
• 2024 UTSA Giving Day
• UTSA Alumni Association
• UTSA Spring Sports Info & Tickets

As a five-year-old in Yorkshire, England, Dr. Angela Speck decided she wanted to be an astronaut. After pursuing her childhood dreams with a PhD in Astronomy from University College London, Dr. Speck built the astronomy program at The University of Missouri. Today, she continues to research and teach astrophysics as UTSA's Physics and Astronomy Department Chair. She enjoys combining her love of "all things nerdy" with science outreach, frequently hosting educational events in the San Antonio community for both adults and children. Dr. Speck currently chairs the American Astronomical Association's (AAS) taskforce on total solar eclipse and is a member of the AAS Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy.

• American Astronomical Society Eclipse Website
• UTSA Today Eclipse Article with Dr. Speck
• TedTalkX with Dr. Angela Speck
• Dr. Speck on X (Twitter)
• UTSA Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
• UTSA Investment Society Blog
• UTSA Athletics Spring Sports
• UTSA Giving Day: Donations & Ambassador Sign Up
• UTSA Alumni Association