TUCSON, Ariz. – University of Arizona alums Don Houston and Kim Sabow were honored as the 2015 C.A.T.S. Silver Anniversary Award winners at the C.A.T.S. Academic Banquet on Monday, April 13. Established in 1991, the Silver Anniversary Award is given to former student-athletes who competed a minimum of 25 years ago and have made a significant impact within their community, to the University of Arizona and within their chosen profession.
Houston graduated from Arizona in 1976 with a degree in business. During his senior season, he helped the baseball program win the NCAA Championship, the Wildcats first national team title of any kind. After spending two years in the minor leagues, Houston began his professional career as a sales representative at IBM. Following a 10-year career with IBM that saw him rise to Central Regional Marketing Director, Houston spent the next 10 years at Calcomp, finishing as VP of Worlwide Sales and Service.
After a short stint with Proxima, Houston took on the role of Vice President of Sales with Plantronics in San Diego, where he currently resides. He is responsible for all domestic and international sales functions for both commercial and consumer products. After two years, he was promoted to Senior Vice President, Sales.
A Los Angeles native, Houston and his wife Rosemarie have been married for 32 years. Rosemarie is also a University of Arizona graduate and played on the tennis team. Last May, their son Parker graduated from the U of A with a business degree after playing four years on the golf team.
A 1990 graduate of the University of Arizona with a degree in media arts and a double minor in communications and Spanish, Sabow was a recipient of the Golden Eagle Distributors Academic Champion Award during her collegiate career. She then went on to earn her master’s degree in business administration and international management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.
Sabow is a third generation native Arizonan, who was recently appointed by Arizona Governor Doug Ducey to serve as Director of International Affairs and Strategic Initiatives. In this role, she works to advance Arizona’s position in the global arena.
A 20-year veteran of state government, Sabow started her career with an appointment as Deputy Press Secretary for Governor Fife Symington and then serving in the Office of Governor Jan Brewer. Prior to her current position, she was the Assistant Vice President for State Relations at the University of Arizona. Her time also extends beyond her government work as she sits on numerous advisory boards and foundations.
Sabow was instrumental in helping raise $100,000 to honor her friend and Arizona teammate, Beth Choate Wortmann, who was tragically killed in a car accident in 2006. Sabow, her sister Allison, and two other Wildcat teammates worked to initiate and dedicate the Beth Choate Wortmann Legacy Walk in 2008 at the Robson Tennis facility.
Sabow and her husband Dave have three daughters, Sara, Anna and Elena.
