Meet Our Staff

Nick Fomin - Director

Nick arrived at the Commons in 2021 after working in program and event management in higher education across Washington, Georgia, and at UT.  Over the course of 20 years working at colleges and universities, he has enjoyed working with a diverse mix of clients, vendors, and stakeholders at all levels of industry to deliver high quality outcomes across thousands of events and initiatives.  He is always seeking improvement, feedback from customers, and opportunities to make the Commons an even greater resource to the UT community.

Andy Sharp - Technical Services

Andy handles all of the Audio/Video needs of the events at Commons and can also be seen helping in other random areas all over the building.  Andy graduated from the University of Texas with a Bachelor of Science in Radio-Television-Film.  He has worked in event, music and video production for over 25 years. 

Jess (Ruvalcaba) Guerrero - Senior Event Coordinator

Jess joined the Commons Conference Center in January of 2023. She first joined the Commons as a Program Coordinator, bringing over 10 years of experience in the hospitality and service industry. She has had the pleasure in working big events from SXSW, Formula1, SuperBowl to weddings, conferences/conventions and much more. With all her knowledge from pervious events to the skills and connections she has developed at the Commons, she will use those skills to further grow the client's experiences at the Commons and continue to help & support the team in any way she can.

Kristin West - Administrative Program Coordinator

Kristin joined the Commons Conference Center in August of 2024, offering over twenty years of experience in the hospitality and service industry. Having worked in a variety of roles, including back of house, front of house, talent, and coordinator, she brings a deep understanding of customer service and event execution. She loves bringing events to life, ensuring every detail is seamless and artfully executed.

Jessica Van Amburgh - Assistant Director

Jessica has worked for the University of Texas at Austin since 2012. She has held several roles within the University, from Conference and Program Coordinator to Implementation Specialist to Quality Assurance Coordinator. Jessica is currently the Assistant Director for Commons Event Services.

Daydrian Burton - Senior Administrative Program Coordinator

Daydrian has been with Commons since April 2024. Her previous experience in managerial roles in the hospitality industry, coupled with her experience working with UT in various accountant positions, have equipped her with a unique skill set to excel in the Senior Administrative Program Coordinator role.

Seth Curlee - UT Cvent Administrator

Seth joined Commons Event Services in November 2023, bringing diverse professional experience spanning hospitality, professional development, social media management and staffing. Seth is passionate about both people and technology, which positions him to be an excellent Cvent Administrator for the UT System. He holds deep appreciation for the meaningful connections he has cultivated with his team at Commons Event Services as well as his customers.

Amanda Congdon - UT Momentus Administrator

Amanda worked in various roles before joining the University of Texas at Austin in the fall of 2017 as an Administrative Associate for the McCombs School of Business MBA Program. In 2019, she became the MBA Program’s Events Coordinator before transitioning to the Commons Event Services team in the Spring of 2021. Currently, she is the Training and Implementation Specialist for the venue space management solution.

Chris Starche - Food Service Unit Manager

Chris manages the food service operations for the Cafe and Conference Center. He came to the Commons as a Cook after graduating from Texas Culinary Academy in 2006 and worked his way through various roles until moving into the Chef's office in 2020. Chris and the kitchen staff at Commons take pride in serving quality comfort food and being a bright part of our patrons' day.

"I came to food-service because I love food, I stayed because I love people"

Soo Han - Sous Chef

Soo started at Commons in 2018 under Chef Dai at the garde mange station, then moved to the pastry chef position. When Commons reopened in fall 2021, Soo came back as chef assistant and creates all the wonderful sauces and vegetables from the kitchen. She has over 25 years of kitchen experience.

Emmitt - Assistant Food Service Supervisor

An Austin native, Emmitt comes to the Commons with wide scope of culinary experience from pastry work at Austin Country Club to restaurant management at Baker's Street Pub. You can now find Emmitt on the Commons Café line during lunch, happy to help you make your lunch selections. Behind the scenes, Emmitt could be working on catered events, proteins, salads or just lending a hand to whoever needs an assist.

Gregory Kamoono - Cook

Gregory started at Commons in October 2022 as prep cook. Gregory started kitchen work at the Marriott during covid and decided to stay in the industry. You can see Gregory on the grill during lunchtime.

Cristina Daza - Line Cook

Cristina started at Commons in January 2023. Previously she bartended in Chile and was a fry cook in Columbia. She has been in hospitality for the last three years and currently enjoys working garden manger station, creating the most beautiful fruit and cheese platters for events, and interacting with cafe patrons on the line during lunchtime.

Luz Pallares - Prep Cook

Luz has been with Commons since January 2023. Previously she worked in accounting but made the move to the hospitality world and loves it! Her willingness to help wherever needed, to learn new things and keeps the kitchen organized has been a huge help to Chef Chris and the rest of the kitchen staff.

Neil Kalloo - Catering Services Coordinator

A part time job at Hilton International as a teenager blossomed into a career that spanned 18 years in Catering, Conference & Banqueting Operations. Neil has managed events that hosted world leaders, local and international sporting competitions, high profile personalities, entertainers & athletes.

‘Being a part of this team, I have no doubt that we will continue to do great things and you will keep coming back time and time again. Hospitality to me is my pleasure and opportunity to provide special care to each visitor that crosses my path.’

Liliana Ramirez (Lili) - Catering Staff

Lili started full time with Commons in the spring of 2023, as our conference center has gotten busier and busier. Lili has worked in food and service industry for more than 20 years. Many long-time clients will recognize Lili as she previously worked at Commons from 2007-2016 and we were thrilled that she agreed to come back onboard!

Destiny Chairez - Cafe Boss

Destiny started at the University of Austin in 2016 with PTS. She moved to Commons Cafe in 2018. When Commons reopened in fall of 2021, Destiny was thrilled to come back to Commons Cafe! Our cafe regulars know and love Destiny and Destiny enjoys engaging with PRC staff daily.

Bruce Duncan - Jack of All Trades

When Commons reopened in September 2021, Bruce was one of Commons first employees. He has worked pretty much every position in the kitchen, from dishwasher, prep cook, server, and bartender. His versatility and eagerness to help with whatever is needed has been a huge assist to Commons.