Kris Popovich: Devoted to Trojan Legacy

The 92nd Annual USC Alumni Awards honored extraordinary alumni achievements, celebrated lasting legacies and showcased the spirit, pride and impact of Trojans around the world. Read the story here.

For Kris Popovich ’65, MBA ’70, USC has never been just a university — it’s family.

“USC is a family, and Kris is a family man,” says longtime friend Michele Dedeaux Engemann, USC Life Trustee and past president of the USC Alumni Association Board of Governors.

That deep-rooted connection is at the heart of Popovich’s legacy, one now recognized with the Asa V. Call Alumni Achievement Award — the university’s highest honor for alumni service. A USC Life Trustee, business leader and philanthropist, Popovich has spent a lifetime strengthening the institution that helped shape him.

A double Trojan, Popovich earned his undergraduate degree in 1965 and an MBA in 1970. His student years reflected an early commitment to campus life, with involvement in Beta Theta Pi, Trojan Crew, the USC Trojan Marching Band, Skull and Dagger and service as a torchbearer. His engagement would only deepen over time.

“Kris Popovich is a USC icon,” says Geoffrey Garrett, dean of the USC Marshall School of Business. “His service to the university knows very few equals.” From helping establish the board of directors for USC Associates — the university’s premier giving society — to later serving as its president, Popovich has been a driving force behind USC’s philanthropic culture. He also played a key leadership role at USC Marshall, serving on its Board of Leaders and guiding fundraising efforts as development chair.

His professional success helped fuel that impact. As chairman of Hoffman and Associates and a trustee of the Hoffman Foundation, Popovich built a distinguished career in business, expanding ventures across industries. “He bought Hoffman Video Systems, and he did very, very well,” recalls Jim Ellis, former dean of USC Marshall. That success translated into meaningful support for USC.

Together with his late wife, USC Trustee Jane Hoffman Popovich ’65, he created a lasting philanthropic legacy. Their generosity is visible across campus, from the Jane Hoffman Popovich and J. Kristoffer Popovich Hall at USC Marshall to support for student scholarships, faculty excellence and groundbreaking research at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Last fall, the Hoffman Foundation established the Popovich Chair in Neurodegenerative Diseases, supporting pioneering research on Parkinson’s and other cognitive disorders.

“You know, we can’t talk about Kris without Jane,” Engemann reflects. “They were such an incredible pair.” Their partnership extended beyond family into a shared vision for giving at USC.

Kris Popovich’s Trojan commitment goes beyond financial contributions: “He is devoted to the well-being of our students — devoted to it,” Engemann says. “It is his first and foremost concern.”

Known for his optimism and generosity of spirit, Popovich has also built a reputation as someone who brings others into the Trojan Family. “He’s just amazing at fundraising — and friend-raising in the midst of it,” Engemann adds.

Popovich’s dedication to making USC a success has had a profound impact. The Asa V. Call Alumni Achievement Award recognizes that enduring influence, reflecting a lifetime of service to the ongoing work of building USC’s future.

After all, as Engemann says, “’SC means the world to him.”