When childhood dreams become national triumphs
Each year, Texas Exes honors a select group of alumni who have not only excelled in their fields but also embodied the spirit of The University of Texas at Austin. This year, two Moody College of Communication graduates were honored. Emmy and Golden Globe-winning producer, Ashley Glazier received the Outstanding Young Texas Ex Award and national basketball champion turned media trailblazer, Fran Harris, received the 2025 Distinguished Alumna Texas Ex Award, recognizing each for their impacts in storytelling, leadership, and innovation.
Though their paths diverged, one from the basketball court and the other from the editing suite, both Glazier and Harris built careers defined by creativity, perseverance, and purpose.
Ashley Glazier
2025 Outstanding Young Texas Ex
When Ashley Glazier walked into her first class as a radio-television-film major at the Moody College of Communication, she didn’t know her time on the Forty Acres would last only two and a half years or that it would launch a career leading to an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and eventually, the 2025 Outstanding Young Texas Ex Award. What began as a fascination with television grew into a lifelong pursuit of storytelling, one that carried her from Austin to Hollywood.
“As a kid, my mom let me have a TV in my room. I absolutely loved TV and probably watched things well beyond age-appropriate,” Glazier said. “I would record episodes on VHS and rewatch them. I was fascinated by storytelling and how television worked.”
While she was accepted into the University of Southern California, Glazier ultimately chose UT Austin to stay closer to home, a decision she describes as “so beneficial” to her career.
“It was more like indie films; it wasn’t big-budget things, but you learn so much from that,” Glazier said. “That, paired with the classes themselves, sets up a good foundation.”
Though she graduated in just three years, Glazier said her short time on campus gave her the confidence and creativity to build a career. The UTLA program, UT's semester-long experience in Los Angeles, became her turning point.
“The UTLA program is really what solidified everything and was the perfect transition into staying out here in LA,” Glazier said.
Originally planning to direct, she discovered her passion for post-production producing during her final semester, when a professor introduced her to the creative world behind the edit.
“I really realized, as much as I still loved the idea of directing, I saw how much storytelling, and the coming together of that storytelling, happens in post-production.”
During her UTLA internship search, Glazier cold-called production offices across Los Angeles until one day, executive producer Timothy Busfield of “Without a Trace” picked up. The connection led to a custom internship that allowed her to follow an episode from start to finish, a hands-on opportunity that opened the door to her first industry jobs, including “Veronica Mars.”
“I learned early on that it’s not just about meeting people, it’s about doing the work and knowing the next job,” Glazier said.
Now an accomplished producer, Glazier describes her job as “keeping the train on the tracks,” balancing creative vision with logistical realities. Many of her projects center on women’s voices and character-driven stories, a focus she said was shaped by her experience returning to work after becoming a mother.
“Working on 'Glow' was transformative,” Glazier said. “The creators were moms, the office supported work-life balance and it showed me that you can create great TV without burning yourself out.”
Her dedication has earned her multiple accolades, including Emmys, a Producers Guild Award and a Golden Globe. Her Emmy win for “Hacks” remains one of her most surreal moments.
“I grew up watching the Emmys. Being on that stage, looking out at people like Meryl Streep, it was surreal,” Glazier said.
Looking back, Glazier credits her success to the persistence she learned as a student, cold-calling, chasing leads and refusing to give up.
“If it’s your passion, don’t give up on it,” Glazier said. “I always tell Tim, if you hadn’t answered that call, I wouldn’t have gotten that internship. And he always reminds me, if you hadn’t been calling and putting in the work, it wouldn’t have happened.”
Glazier’s journey from a TV-loving child to an Emmy-winning producer is a testament to the power of mentorship, perseverance and the stories that shape us.
Fran Harris
2025 Distinguished Alumna Texas Ex
When Fran Harris picked up a basketball at 15, she didn’t know it would carry her from her Dallas driveway to a national championship, an Olympic gold medal, and ultimately, the 2025 Distinguished Alumna Texas Ex Award.
“I came from a basketball family where my two older brothers were legendary in Dallas-Fort Worth,” Harris said. “My life was always traveling and in the gym. Basketball was embedded in me from the start.”
Her mother, focused on academics, initially discouraged her from playing. It wasn’t until Harris’s brother convinced their mother that basketball could pay for college that she finally joined her high school team. At South Oak Cliff High, Harris quickly proved herself and eventually she earned a spot at UT and majored in journalism. As a Longhorn, she became the team captain and leading scorer of the undefeated 1986 national championship team.
“When you came into the program, you anticipated staying four years in that program. These are people who, not only were your teammates, but they also became your family,” said Harris, “Because you knew them and you got to know their families. You went home with them on weekends, you asked their parents to cook things for you, just as if they were your parents and it felt like more of a family.”
After a devastating loss in the 1985 regional tournament, the team returned stronger.
“That was devastating for us and we didn't forget it. In fact, it was the motivation for the 1986 season,” said Harris. "The seniors and I felt that nothing's going to get in our way. We're not going to have any team issues. We're going to go out and make this year our literal best year, and that was our guiding light.”
Following graduation, Harris earned a gold medal with USA Basketball and was named an alternate for the 1988 Olympic team, but after being cut from the final roster, she felt disillusioned by the politics of the process.
“When you have your first real love and it doesn't work out, you're devastated and you're like, ‘I'm never doing that again’,” said Harris. “That's how I felt with basketball, I'm never giving my heart to that again.”
She shifted her focus to launching a professional career with Procter & Gamble while attending graduate school at UT and started a sports marketing company. The love of the game never faded as Harris began to play in three-on-three tournaments, rediscovering her joy.
“One of the things you realize in relationships is that just because that relationship didn't work out doesn't mean that you should not try love again,” said Harris. “You have to open your heart up to the possibility that you can love again. And that's what I had to do with basketball.”
When the WNBA launched in 1997, Harris joined the Houston Comets and helped secure the league’s first championship title. From there, her career exploded from athlete to entrepreneur, consultant and media personality. She became a Fortune 100 consultant, authored over 20 books, and appeared on Good Morning America, TODAY, CNN and Oprah’s Radio Network.
“I always tell people, you have to be willing to be bad at something to get your shot,” said Harris. “Maybe there are proteges but 99% of the world has to suck at it before they actually become good at it, and that was how I got into television.”
Today, Harris continues to innovate. She’s the founder of EXALT, a women’s basketball league launching in 2026, co-founder of The Athletic Club sports complexes and creator of ELECTRA, the first electrolyte drink designed by and for women.
“So much of what I've learned about great leadership I learned from my time in Texas,” said Harris. “A lot of who I became as a leader came from self-discovery about what I was good at, why people responded to me the way they responded to me.”
When Harris learned she’d been named a Distinguished Alumna, she was stunned.
“I wasn't expecting it. I wasn't. I didn't know that I was nominated,” said Harris. “To be candid, I was happy that it is a celebration of the total person. It's not just a community, academic, or sports designation. It is the recognition that I've had an impact wherever I've gone. So it was really cool.”
In Harris' journey from late-blooming athlete to media powerhouse, her story always circles back to purpose.
“It's more important for you to figure out what your purpose is and then just do it,” Harris said. “I know that my purpose is to show people what's possible for them.”
Both Glazier and Harris embody the power of a Longhorn education rooted in curiosity, community and the courage to chase bold ideas. Whether behind the camera or in front of it, they’ve shown that storytelling, in all its forms, can change lives.
