Espresso Shot 14 with the Parkers

Denise Parker, Class of ‘77, joined the Center for Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Bush School of Government and Public Service in October 2017. Prior to joining the Center, Denise worked for an international nongovernment organization, IMA World Health, from 2008 to 2017, where she gained extensive nonprofit experience. She was a senior finance officer, working, mentoring, and building the institutional capacity of in-country finance staff in South Sudan, Tanzania, and Kenya. She managed and implemented financial processes and procedures for multi-year public health projects with diverse contract structures. Other duties included monitoring and managing foreign currency and cash management processes to assure the program activities could be funded and implemented and all activities complied with contractual requirements and accounting principles. She is proud of her work to improve the lives of people in low-income and middle-income countries, particularly the most vulnerable in the failing state of South Sudan.

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.

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.