Maggie Hausbeck serves as the assistant dean of external affairs for the UNLV Harrah College of Hospitality. In her role, Hausbeck helps steward the college’s wide network of alumni and industry relationships while connecting students with opportunities within this network. Her extensive background in nonprofits includes professional roles with organizations like UNLV, the Special Olympics and her alma mater, the University of Buffalo. Since joining the college in 2016, Hausbeck has assumed various leadership roles in development, alumni relations, career services and events.
She considers UNLVino, Las Vegas’ longest-running food and wine festival, a major highlight of her career, as she has had the privilege of helping students gain real-world experience while generating funds for scholarships. She is especially excited about the upcoming 50th anniversary of the UNLVino Grand Tasting on May 2, celebrating five decades of this UNLV tradition with students and the community.
UNLVino will be held at Thomas & Mack Center on May 2, 2025, from 6-10 p.m. for the 50th Anniversary Grand Tasting. Tickets are $170 for VIP Entry at 6 p.m. or $100 for general admission entry at 7 p.m. and are available now at UNLVINO.com
Q: What are you reading?
A: “Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More than They Expect” by Will Guidara. The subheading speaks of the “power of giving people more than they expect” and while the book is set against the backdrop of the hospitality industry, it is a great read about service and leadership.
Q: What is your favorite restaurant or place to take clients?
A: Our Hospitality Alumni network is building an initiative called the F&B Rebellion. (It) is made up of alumni-owned-and-operated food and beverage establishments and we focus on supporting Rebels in all that we do.
Guy Fieri may be our most recognized food and beverage success but there are amazing Rebels behind spots like Crafthaus Brewery, Slater’s 50/50, La Mona Rosa, We all Scream, Mama Bird, Flowing Tides and Emilio’s.
And, if we are talking about my go-to for comfort food: I’m originally from Buffalo, New York, so my hands-down personal fav is Johnny Mac’s for their Beef on Weck. It’s a signature Buffalo dish!
Q: How do you decompress after a long week?
A: Life is always better when you’re laughing. Sharing laughs, after a long week or anywhere along the way, is my secret for decompressing.
Q: What do you do to work out?
A: Walking my dogs and running between meetings are the trick to rack up steps, but I love kick-boxing, rollerblading and anything high-intensity that gets my heart-pumping.
Q: What is the biggest challenge facing Southern Nevada?
A: My husband would say water scarcity. He’s probably right from a macro perspective, but the dramatic shift in housing affordability concerns me deeply. We’ve all seen the sharp decline of affordable living options in Southern Nevada and it impacts everyone from our students to middle-income earners and beyond. I understand that there is a combination of factors but I hate to think about what hard-working people who want to be part of this community are up against in terms of the housing market. I want them to have the opportunity to make an investment into a home … to have that stability early on in their lives.
