2012 President

Gary Hanson Appointed Sun Bowl Association President

The Sun Bowl Association named Gary Hanson as the
77th president of the Sun Bowl Association.

Gary Hanson has been named the 77th president of the Sun Bowl Association, announced executive director Bernie Olivas.

Hanson and the 2012 Board of Directors were officially introduced Thursday at the Alcantar Sky Garden at the Plaza Theatre.

A part of the Sun Bowl Association since 2008, Hanson has served as chairman for the Sun Bowl Western Refining College All-America Golf Classic and has been part of the football committee and member of the board of directors.

Hanson is Vice President of Corporate Communications for Western Refining. He is responsible for managing the company’s overall brand image and directs its advertising and corporate sponsorships. Hanson works as the media liaison to ensure Western Refining is accurately portrayed in the marketplace and provide guidance and training to personnel that interact with the media. Additionally, he is responsible for overseeing all internal communications for the company and serves on the Communications Committee for the National Petroleum Refiners Association.

Prior to joining Western Refining, Hanson was the Global Marketing Director for the Manufacturing Industry Group at EDS. He was responsible for all marketing strategy and communications for this multi-billion dollar group.

Previously, Hanson was Vice President of Marketing for Software Spectrum where he was responsible for all global marketing activities including the internet, advertising, public relations and internal and external communications.

Before joining Software Spectrum, Hanson was the Director of Marketing Communications for EDS. He was responsible for communicating the EDS brand, corporate message development, corporate conferences, electronic marketing—including the Internet and on-line service activities—as well as design and writing of the annual report and key collateral materials.

Hanson began his career in sales and marketing in 1980 for Eli Lilly & Company. In 1983, he joined the marketing staff of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team where he developed corporate sponsor packages, designed and implemented numerous promotional activities, and coordinated game operations.

Hanson continued to enhance his communications expertise by joining Michael & Partners Advertising. As Vice President of Account Services, Hanson was responsible for numerous accounts at the agency where he directed, developed and implemented advertising and communications programs for key accounts on a national basis.

Aside from the Sun Bowl Association, Hanson is actively involved in a number of local organizations. He has served on the board of directors for the United Way of El Paso, Junior Leadership El Paso and the Ronald McDonald House. He is a member of the El Paso Chamber of Commerce and the FBI Citizens Academy Alumni Association.

The Stanton, Texas native received a bachelor of business administration degree in marketing from Texas Tech University where he served as Student Body President. He and his wife Susan have six children.

Joining Hanson on the Board of Directors are Walker Crowson (President Elect), Barry Kobren (Executive Vice President/Basketball Chairman), Mike Rogers (Immediate Past President), Jimmy Rogers, Jr. (Chair Emeritus), Marilyn Munden (Secretary), Steve Beltran (Treasurer), Bill Blaziek (VP Community Relations), Scott Mann (VP Legal Affairs), Stuart Sliva (VP Marketing), Wayne Thornton (VP Public Relations), Asher Feinberg (CBS), Linda Smith (Coronation), John Folmer (Football), Jim Lawrence (Parade), Art Munoz (Special Events), Bill Coon, Natalia Flores, Josh Hunt, Scott Mann, Agustin Montes, Kay Mooy, Allen Rystad, Brent Beauchamp and Gary Sanders.

The 2012 Board of Advisors consists of Amen Ayoub, Frank Bates, Ruben Batista, John Cook, Christian Daw, Richard Dayoub, Linda East, Sarah Enriquez, Veronica Escobar, David Forti, Brian Kennedy, Tommy Lewis, Mike McCorgary, David Morales, Chris Mott, John Oblinger, Jean Offutt, Bruce Reichman, Jimmy Rogers III, Mike Rosales, Charles Staniszewski, Bob Stull, Cindy Ramos Davidson, Pat Valdez-Rios, Charles Vass, Joe Valenzuela, Mario Vega and Terri Rangel.