Cory Arcak served as Director of the MSC L.T. Jordan Institute for International Awareness at Texas A&M and as an Associate Director with the MSC Student Programs Office. With a background in anthropology, the arts, and education, she served the Texas A&M campus and surrounding community by providing international internships, service opportunities, on-campus programming, leadership development, and research support. For the past 18 years she has worked with colleagues and students both nationally and internationally engaging in the creation, development, and implementation of interdisciplinary, intercollegiate and cross-cultural service and community curriculum and programming. These programs address issues from international awareness, cultural competency and leadership development to work with marginalized communities, clean water access, disaster response, equity, and community recovery and investment.
SARAH, TJ, & CORY CHAT ABOUT
• What is your position within the Bush School?
• How long have you worked here?
• What was the main draw to the School?
• What is your favorite part about your position?
• Is there anything you’d like to share for anyone considering the Bush School; faculty, staff or student?
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Co-Host of the Coffee Talk Podcast & Director - Annenberg Presidential Conference Center
Sarah Chrastecky is the director of the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center, where she oversees all aspects of the operation.
Chrastecky graduated from Texas Lutheran University in 2006 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in studio art and a minor in psychology. Upon graduation, she moved to the Bryan/College Station area.
In the summer of 2009, Chrastecky began working for the APCC and caught the industry bug. During this time, she had the opportunity to expand her knowledge and passion by attending and graduating from the IAVM Venue Management School. In October of 2012, she transitioned to an associate director position for Chartwells Catering at Texas A&M University to continue her experience and business interests. She returned to the APCC as the manager in the summer of 2015. In February of 2017, she stepped in as interim director until June of 2018, when she accepted the director position.
Chrastecky is the mother of two beautiful boys and wife to a golf course superintendent. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, game nights, family movie nights and entertainment provided by sarcastic 10 and 4-year-olds.
Co-Host of the Coffee Talk Podcast & Event Manager at Annenberg Presidential Conference Center
Tracy ‘TJ’ Hefti is originally from Houston, Texas, and joined the APCC in 2018. She has over 10 years of experience in various service industry roles and is excited to bring those skills to Texas A&M. TJ has her Certified Meeting Professionals (CMP) certification, as well as the Certified Professional in Management certification (AMA-CPM). In her free time she enjoys creating art, exploring and supporting local cuisines and spending time with her family.
Director - International & High Impact Experiences
Cory Arcak served as Director of the MSC L.T. Jordan Institute for International Awareness at Texas A&M and as an Associate Director with the MSC Student Programs Office. With a background in anthropology, the arts, and education, she served the Texas A&M campus and surrounding community by providing international internships, service opportunities, on-campus programming, leadership development, and research support.
For the past 18 years she has worked with colleagues and students both nationally and internationally engaging in the creation, development, and implementation of interdisciplinary, intercollegiate and cross-cultural service and community curriculum and programming. These programs address issues from international awareness, cultural competency and leadership development to work with marginalized communities, clean water access, disaster response, equity, and community recovery and investment.