Three staff members in the College of Fine Arts were recognized this month with the 2025 President’s Outstanding Staff Award: Joe Jernejcic, Bianca Hooi and Dana McLaughlin. The program honors and recognizes the invaluable contributions of outstanding staff members who have had a significant impact on the University. The recipients were all nominated by their colleagues and supervisors and selected for the award.
Please join us in congratulating these worthy recipients in the College of Fine Arts.
Joe Jernejcic, Director of Facilities
College of Fine Arts
Joe Jernejcic joined the College of Fine Arts in 2019 and has overseen a variety of construction and renovation projects in every department in the college during his time here. He served as the college’s facility manager, and he also managed daily operation of the Doty Fine Arts Building. In 2024, he transitioned into the new director role to focus on the college’s construction and renovation projects and the creation of funding proposals to support the college’s facilities needs.
“Joe feels a sense of ownership throughout the College of Fine Arts facilities, recognizing that his efforts benefit the college as a whole,” said Nisreen Singharaj, assistant dean for Business Operations. “He clearly has a passion for the work that he does, and it shows in his speech and interactions. Joe’s background in construction management has had a significant impact on our renovation and construction projects, and we have greatly benefited from his expertise.”
Bianca Hooi, Executive & Artistic Project Manager
Texas Performing Arts
Bianca Hooi joined Texas Performing Arts in 2021 as an assistant to Executive and Artistic Director Bob Bursey, and she was promoted in 2023 to her current position, where she focuses on projects that don’t neatly fit into any one departments purview and/or require a lot of cross-departmental collaboration. These projects can include developmental artist residencies, infrastructure improvements, implementation of new organization-wide initiatives and more.
“In the three and a half years Bianca has been with TPA, we’ve grown to become the most active university-based arts center in the country,” said Bob Bursey. “Everyone on the team has stretched into new professional territory to reach this new level of impact. Whether coordinating a faculty member’s research residency, producing a touring immersive production, managing a space renovation or developing a new community partnership, Bianca has demonstrated incredible range. Her commitment to creating transformative experiences has included mentoring many new team members as we’ve grown, becoming a standard-bearer for our organizational culture. I’m so proud of her work.”
Dana McLaughlin, Audience Services Coordinator
Department of Theatre and Dance
Dana McLaughlin joined the Department of Theatre and Dance in 2021 as the Audience Services Coordinator, where he actively works to ensure an excellent guest experience, overseeing ticketing services and front of house operations. He supports student learning by mentoring and teaching students about the department’s audience-facing operations.
“Dana brings a contagious joy and enthusiasm with him in virtually all of his interactions,” said Department of Theatre and Dance Chair Pete Carpenter. “In addition to managing the box office operations and front of house services for the department’s Subscription Series, Dana has also been instrumental in the department’s ability to reinstate Friday matinees where K-12 educators are invited to bring their classes with steep educational discounts. He also plays a leadership role in delivering the department’s Studio Series, which is where student directors and playwrights most frequently showcase their work in the department. Dana displays innovative problem-solving and continually improves the processes and systems he manages.”