UHD Alumni News
By Sheryl E. Taylor
Trazanna Moreno has been appointed to the Houston Zoo executive team as vice president of marketing & communications. She previously served as chief marketing officer for the Houston Symphony. Moreno’s lengthy career also includes two tenures at the YMCA of Greater Houston where she served for five years as the senior vice president and chief marketing. Moreno and her YMCA team won AMA Houston Marketer of the Year in 2013, as well as PRSA Houston Nonprofit Team of the Year in 2012. Moreno earned a Master of Science in Professional/Technical Writing from UHD in 2007.
Steven Kaufman, founder and chief executive officer for ZeusLending.com, was recently named to Houston Business Journal’s 2018 “Most Admired CEO List (For-Profit Sector)”. ZeusLending.com is a Houston-based real estate finance provider of home equity loans, hard money loans, crowdfunding opportunities and mortgages to individual and corporate consumers. The Houston Business Journal and Inc. Magazine placed the now 14-year-old company as one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S. Kaufman earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting from UHD in 2001.
Cheryl “Charly” Weldon, president and chief executive officer of Family Houston, was named to Houston Business Journal’s 2018 “Most Admired CEO List (Nonprofit Sector)”. Family Houston provides programs and outreach services dedicated to teaching life skills necessary to face financial, health, relationship and other critical challenges to strengthen families—leading to a healthier, more stable community. Weldon earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from UHD in 2005.
The University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) is the second-largest university in Houston and has served the educational needs of the nation’s fourth-largest city since 1974. As one of four distinct public universities in the University of Houston System, UHD is a comprehensive, four-year university led by President Loren J. Blanchard. Annually, UHD educates approximately 14,000 students, boasts more than 66,000 alumni, and offers 45 bachelor’s degrees, 12 master’s degrees, and 19 online programs within four colleges: Marilyn Davies College of Business, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Public Service, and College of Sciences and Technology. UHD has one of the lowest tuition rates in Texas.
U.S. News and World Report ranked UHD among the nation’s Best Online Bachelor’s Programs for Applied Administration and Best Online Master’s Programs in Criminal Justice, as well as a Top Performer in Social Mobility. The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse ranked UHD one of the best colleges in the U.S. for its 2024 rankings, with notable distinctions: No. 1 for diversity (tied) and No. 3 for student experience. The University is designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, a Minority-Serving Institution, and a Military Friendly School. For more information on the University of Houston-Downtown, visit uhd.edu.
