Every holiday season in San Antonio, balloons and confetti drop in the Alamodome as a winning football coach holds up the Valero Alamo Bowl trophy.
It’s a celebration of the city. It’s a celebration of top-level college football. It’s a celebration of community advocacy, scholarships, teacher empowerment, and giving back.
And at the center of that celebration? Obviously, a social worker.
Julie Baker (BSW ’91) is the vice president of operations for the Alamo Bowl, one of the biggest bowl games of the college football postseason. She orchestrates the Bowl’s Community Festival of Events and directs every aspect of game day — all while serving as the primary point of contact for participating teams, stadium and practice facilities, merchandising partners, and, in a “small team, big mission” environment, the Bowl’s human resources functions.
Throughout her career, Baker has built a reputation defined by operational excellence, wholehearted mentorship, and community impact. She joined the Alamo Bowl in 1997 and has held her current role since 2002. This season marks the 29th game she’s helped deliver — an astonishing run powered by her love of people and a leadership philosophy grounded in social work.
“I love people, and I love loving on people,” Baker says. “I may not be a practicing clinical social worker, but that philosophy is at the heart of how I lead.”
A Celebration of Community Advocacy
Under Baker’s leadership, the Alamo Bowl has significantly expanded its philanthropy and community engagement efforts in San Antonio, giving back to its students, teachers, and individuals in need.
The Bowl’s scholarship initiative, which began in 2000 with 25 awards of $2,500, now recognizes more than 100 students a year with $7,500 apiece — and an on-field presentation during the game.
“Education is where we pour energy,” Baker said. “It changes trajectories and lives forever.”
Additional programs, such as “Touchdown for Teachers” and a new partnership with PNC bank that surprises teachers with classroom funding, provide financial resources for San Antonio-area K-12 teachers to help educate the next generation of San Antonians.
The Bowl’s civic reach extends further with “Fill the Bowl,” a ticket-participation drive with the San Antonio Food Bank. Efforts last year during the food drive brought in more than 43,000 pounds of food – enough for 51,450 meals – and built out year-round philanthropy efforts with one of the largest food banks in Bexar County. Other projects and initiatives with the bowl game help support veterans’ groups, local children’s homes, and additional nonprofits in the greater San Antonio region.
“I think it’s so true that what starts at UT changes the world,” said Baker. “I’m not necessarily solving the greatest challenges of our time, but I’m hopefully influencing lives who will then influence others.”
What Starts Here
A social work education wasn’t what Baker initially expected when she got to the Forty Acres. Originally an interior design major, she switched to social work during her junior year. When she reflects on her time in the program, she thinks about how the program opened her eyes to new possibilities in the world, especially in experiencing differing opinions and finding common connection.
“In social work, I think you can be anything and do anything, and social work especially prepares you for that by making you a kinder, more understanding person,” she says. “You can do a little bit of everything with every kind of person, and I think that perspective is so important for 20-somethings when you learn that there’s a big world out there, and it’s still so important for someone who has had a little bit more experience in the world.”
At UT, Julie took on leadership roles with Young Life and Texas Spirits, which gave her a first chance to work with mentoring people. It was a practice she fell in love with and still practices today.
A Legacy in the “Fourth Quarter”
If you ask Baker what she’s most proud of in her work at the Alamo Bowl, she’ll point to her interns — current and former. Baker has spent nearly 30 years coaching young people, which she calls the “highlight” of her day job. Whether she’s dishing out career advice or “solving boyfriend problems” with her interns, she loves being a mentor to a younger generation.
“I call them ‘counseling sessions,’ but I’m constantly helping young staffers navigate life — family, relationships, first jobs. My mom always tells me that’s me using my degree again!” Baker says with a laugh.
The impact Baker has on her interns is evident in internship reunions. Beginning with the 20th game in 2012, Baker has helped put together reunions in various destinations. The most recent reunion happened in Denver, where 29 interns and their family members gathered to catch up.
“We’ve built a full network out now, and they help each other get jobs, celebrate one another, talk about their kids and build this wonderful community,” said Baker. “They also keep coming back to work with us, and that tells me we’re doing something right.”
It’s that kind of connection that fuels Baker. Now in what she calls “the fourth quarter” of her career, Julie thinks often about her legacy and how she wants her impact to be remembered. And to her, as long as she’s able to change lives through sports and entertainment, she’s got a winning game plan.
“I don’t want to be remembered as someone who was great at her job — but I want to be remembered as a good friend, a listening ear, a great giver of advice,” Baker said. “I hope the lives I’m touching are changed for the better because of my genuine love for them.”
