Long-time staff member Cheryl 'Spitz' Spitzenberger to retire in January

Spitz and her son Kurt at the UTHealth Houston Child Development Center in 1986.

Spitz reading a document in a meeting. — Spitz going over a new policy with her co-workers at a 1990s staff meeting.

After 46 years of service to UTHealth Houston and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Cheryl ‘Spitz’ Spitzenberger will be retiring in January 2025. Spitz has been a dedicated and beloved member of the Graduate School staff, and her contributions have played a major role in building the school into the world-class institution it is today.

The Graduate School community is invited to share their well wishes for Spitz here.

Spitz began her career with UTHealth Houston in 1978 and transferred to the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in 1986. She has held several roles with diverse responsibilities during her time at the Graduate School, spanning student affairs, academic affairs, and faculty affairs. She has collaborated closely with multiple deans, and her contributions to curriculum, program management, and alumni relations have helped create an extraordinary academic environment. In her current role as program manager for operations and student affairs, Spitz oversees the Graduate School’s student associations and alumni affairs, works with the career development and facilities management teams, and serves as one of the school’s Section 504 coordinators. In her extraordinary journey over nearly five decades, she has influenced almost every aspect of the Graduate School, and her impact on students, alumni, faculty, and staff is immeasurable.

Spitz transferred to the Graduate School from what was then called Data Processing in UTHealth Houston’s central administrative offices in 1986. In her first role at the Graduate School, she worked for Associate Dean Paul Darlington, PhD, in a position encompassing finance, admissions, student advising, and alumni relations. One of her greatest accomplishments during this time was her work with Roger Hewitt, PhD, Jacqueline Hecht, PhD, and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to establish the Genetic Counseling Specialized MS Program, which was approved in 1989 and remains a benchmark for excellence.

In the early 1990s, Spitz transferred to faculty affairs, where she served as staff administrator for the GSBS Membership and Executive Committees. This role gave her the opportunity to oversee program reviews and faculty meetings, as well as take on new responsibilities in the realm of facilities management. She oversaw the physical relocation of the school in 1999 from 6901 Bertner Avenue, where the Cizik School of Nursing stands today, to a temporary location on Travis Street while the Mitchell Basic Sciences and Research Building (BSRB) was being built, to its current home at 6767 Bertner Avenue in December 2004. During this time, Spitz also managed the transfer of paid Graduate School faculty appointments and labs to other UTHealth Houston schools, and the chronicling of confidential student, faculty, and alumni files. After the move, she worked with procurement and facilities management teams from both MD Anderson and UTHealth Houston to convert existing spaces in BSRB into classrooms, conference rooms, and staff offices.

After her time in faculty affairs, Spitz moved to academic affairs, where she assisted in the coordination of large-scale events such as Commencement, Graduate Student Research Day, and Orientation. This role also gave her the opportunity to manage the Graduate School’s student associations. After a reorganization following the COVID-19 pandemic, Spitz moved to student affairs, where she began working more closely with the Graduate School’s alumni. Keeping up with the school’s extraordinary graduates is one of Spitz’s favorite parts of her job, and a major highlight of her career.

Spitz has been at the forefront of many major additions to the Graduate School. Her proudest accomplishment is her work with the Dr. John J. Kopchick Research Symposium, a biennial research symposium named in honor of John J. Kopchick, PhD ’80. She has had the pleasure of coordinating the event and working closely with the GSBS Kopchick Fellows since the inaugural symposium in 2019.

“It’s been so much fun watching our school grow and prosper, and I cherish every memory,” says Spitz. “Working closely with our students over the years, and watching our alumni soar, feels very personal. And if I was able to offer even one micro-contribution to our students or grads, those relationships and interactions would be my proudest accomplishments. I also greatly admire and care about our staff and faculty, and all my colleagues at both UTHealth Houston and MD Anderson. Without their support, finding solutions to all the challenges would have been so much more difficult, and a lot less fun.”

“Spitz is the heart of the Graduate School and through my 20 years at GSBS, I’ve tried my best to live up to her example,” says Associate Dean for Management Karen Weinberg, MS. “She’s the most caring person I know, always going above and beyond in service to the students, alumni, faculty, and staff. She’s left her mark on all of us and her legacy will continue to inspire me going forward. I wish her the best in her retirement.”

“Spitz’s devotion to the Graduate School and our students is truly unparalleled,” says Dean Alejandro Aballay, PhD. “Her tireless efforts and passion for fostering a supportive and enriching environment have profoundly impacted our community. Her warmth, compassion, and unwavering commitment to the success and well-being of our students will forever be remembered. Thank you, Spitz, for being such an inspiring presence and for everything you have done to make GSBS a better place.”

Throughout her career, Spitz has made an impact at the Graduate School, UTHealth Houston, and beyond in thousands of ways, both big and small. Although she’s been instrumental in nearly all the Graduate School’s major projects in the past four decades, her greatest contribution has been the generosity of her spirit, her passion for the people she works with, and her influence on students, faculty, alumni, and staff. She has touched the lives of every person who has come through the Graduate School since 1986, and her legacy will live on for decades to come.