The Alum Behind UT’s Voice 

After 16 years at some of New York’s top advertising agencies, AnaLiza Alba returned to the University of Texas not as a student, but as the creative force shaping its brand. 

Finding Her Path 

Originally a journalism major inspired by the magazine craze of the 90s, Alba decided late in her senior year to shift her focus. One of her final walks down the Moody halls became a turning point, leading to a last-minute decision to pursue a graduate degree in advertising and extend her time at the Forty Acres. Through her graduate program, she encountered “some of the best professors” and participated in various programs that ultimately helped her secure an internship in New York after graduation. 

Making Her Break 

While interning in New York, Alba leaned into her hustle and found her footing above her peers. As she toured various agencies and met different recruiters, she noted everyone she met. These conversations with recruiters that summer ultimately shaped her career in New York, linking her internship directly to her professional momentum. 

New York didn’t come without its risks. After building her career at DDB, an advertising agency, Alba took a significant career jump to McMann. She describes this move to work on the L'Oréal account at McMann as the most challenging decision she had made at that point. Before making the jump, Alba received warnings from people around her, but the advice came from her mentor. Tiffany Warren changed her perspective. 

“When you want to move in life, in your career, you have to take risks, and you have to make jumps, and you have to take this leap,” Warren said. “ If you do this, and you go through this boot camp, then you can do anything.” 

Having learned from that experience and transition, Alba says she now truly believes she can tackle anything. This newfound mindset carried her into her next chapter and throughout her 16-year career in New York. When the next challenge came across, she prepared and carried the same mindset, illustrating how each experience built on the last. 

Coming Back to Her Roots 

In 2020, during the pandemic, Alba returned home to Texas, completing what was originally intended as a five-year plan to gain experience in New York after graduation, but which ultimately became a 16-year career during which she started a family. As she reestablished herself in Texas, she decided to lay down roots in Austin and transition to working on the brand side. This opportunity arose when she received a text about her dream job: Associate Vice President for Creative and Brand Strategy at her alma mater, The University of Texas.

Returning to UT for her new role feels like a full-circle moment for Alba, who is now bringing her years of professional experience back to her alma mater. In her words, she serves as the brand's designated “caregiver”—she calls it, upholds it, and elevates it. With almost a year in the role, Alba notes that although shifting to the client and brand side required adjustment, the highlights have made the transition rewarding. 

"I’m most proud of our recent work for UT research campaign because it captures the scale, rigor, and real‑world impact of the work happening here, while highlighting how Texas leads the nation in service to the public good,” Alba said. 

Mindset Matters 

Back roaming the halls at her alma mater, Alba finds conversations with students about their future rewarding as she acknowledges the same daunting question she faced back in the 90s and that graduating seniors face today: Now what? To address this question, Alba offers students parting advice: meet people where they are to get into the rooms they wish to be in. 

She said,”No one's ever gonna just come knocking on your door. If you put yourself forward and help people, that will go far for you.”