Christina M. Hixson and Lied Foundation Trust

Christina M. Hixson graduated from high school in Clarinda, Iowa, borrowed money from her uncle, and moved to Omaha, Nebraska to attend business school. After seven months, she went to work for Ernst F. Lied, a car dealership owner in Omaha. In 1960, she joined Mr. Lied in Las Vegas as his assistant. When Mr. Lied passed away in 1980, Christina became the sole trustee of the Lied Foundation Trust, which he had established in memory of his parents, Ernst M. and Ida K. Lied. Christina turned the Lied Foundation Trust into one of the largest foundations in the state of Nevada at that time.

UNLV is a fortunate beneficiary of Christina’s foresight and commitment to higher education. The landscape of campus is abundant with the Hixson-Lied legacy. The Lied Institute for Real Estate Studies, Lied Athletic Complex, Lied Library, Hixson-Lied Success Scholars Program — and the students whose lives they enrich — tell the tale of Christina’s generosity and desire to help others. Without a doubt, her philanthropic endeavors are woven richly into the fabric of UNLV.

When Christina first started her career, she believed that if you worked hard and stayed on the job, you could make it. “Today,” she said, “you need education first, then you have to work hard to make it. I don’t really give gifts, but I do offer opportunities.”

In 2013, Christina Hixson and the Lied Foundation Trust were honored as Ruby Palladium members, or donors who have contributed a cumulative of $25 million or more to UNLV.