University of St. Thomas alumna, Mallory Wendel ’11, has come back to her stomping ground as UST’s first director of corporate relations. Serving as a strategic brand ambassador for the university, Wendel will engage with corporations of all shapes and sizes to establish innovative partnerships.

“My focus is building relationships,” Wendel said, “between UST and Houston’s business community and to identify mutually beneficial programs or initiatives that are in line with the University’s forward-thinking approach. One project that I am excited to get more companies interested in is the Rising Star work-study program.”

UST and Cristo Rey Jesuit College Preparatory School have collaborated to launch the Rising Stars pilot program to provide work experience to students with limited resources. Due to corporate investments, first-generation college students and students with financial needs have the opportunity to attend UST while simultaneously earning valuable, real-world career experiences.

Wendel will cultivate relationships throughout Greater Houston’s corporate community and determine how UST can support companies’ needs by offering access to existing services or developing new programs.

“UST now offers an associate’s degree in cybersecurity,” Wendel said. “There is a growing need among employers to find employees with highly specialized skills and the newly established associate's degrees will help develop a direct pipeline for industry-specific jobs. Corporations also regularly partner with universities to offer continuing education courses, and UST is poised to launch new programs aimed at enhancing the workforce of tomorrow.”

Brand awareness in the corporate community is another big focus for Wendel.

“UST is a highly ranked, prestigious school,” Wendel said, “but a lot of companies don’t know about us. This is an opportunity to get our name out there.”

Wendel was born and raised in Austin and attended UST in 2008 while earning volleyball and academic scholarships. Shortly after her graduation in 2011, Wendel moved to Dallas where she worked as an intern for former first lady Mrs. Laura Bush. From there, Wendel worked at two boutique, business-to-business public relations and marketing agencies. Wendel has experience building communications strategies and implementing tactics for a range of clients including law firms, commercial real estate developers, professional service firms, civil engineering companies and many more.

“I’m so excited to be returning to my alma mater and supporting the school that played such a huge part in my life,” Wendel said. “I look forward to sharing my story with businesses across Houston and informing people about one of Houston’s best-kept secrets.”