For June we’re getting to know a little about Nicole, the newest member of the Voting Body of the Workers’ Assembly. (This means she finished her one-year as an apprentice Workers’ Assembly Member and now she runs this town. Congratulations Nicole!) Before Black Star, she was a member of College Houses and her co-op experience is a valued part of our WA.

WHAT DO YOU DO AT BLACK STAR?
After working on the Pub Team for almost a year, I recently moved to the Business Team. Mostly, my job is to take care of bidnass: handling the legal stuff, the money stuff, the labor stuff, the repair stuff, the marketing stuff, and essentially facilitating the other workers to do their jobs efficiently. I still make weekly cameos on the Pub Team though, because I love seeing all of our regulars.

WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
I was born in Minnesota where most of my relatives have darling accents. I moved to Texas when I was really young, and I grew up in Katy, a suburb of the vast Houston sprawl. I moved to Austin about six years ago to go to UT, and I haven’t found a reason to leave.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE STYLE OF BEER?
I’ve been a hophead for oh so long, so an IPA that’s pretty clean and unsweet is usually my standby. However, I’m a sucker for a Biere de Garde. Nummy.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BEER CURRENTLY ON TAP AT THE CO-OP?
Vulcan has been my fave since Day 1. It’s like a good friend, always there to greet me after a long day at work. I especially love Vulcan’s Brew Days, where the whole brewery smells sweet and spicy with its distinctive aromas.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE LATE NIGHT/DRUNK SNACK?
Here, seasoned chips with serrano aioli. At home, kosher baby dill pickles and homemade popcorn.

WHAT’S THE LAST BOOK YOU READ?
I’m struggling through Mockingjay, the final book in the Hunger Games trilogy (yes, I’m 13 years old). It’s completely lost my interest, and I just want to finish it so I can start reading Game of Thrones.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE COOPERATIVE PRINCIPLE AND WHY?
Autonomy & Independence. On the Workers’ Assembly, everyone has the ability and is encouraged to speak their mind and make this workplace how they want it to be. We have so many positive workers who have different skills to offer. And Black Star is a vibrant place where everyone offers up their skills and insights to help us operate more efficiently and offer our Member-Owners and patrons something that you can’t find anywhere else.

WHAT’S BETTER, PIE OR CAKE?
Cheesecake… which is called a cake, but it has a crust, so I think it may be a pie. Quite the paradox.

IF YOU WERE A SUPER HERO, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR SPECIAL ABILITY?
Invisibility. I long to be a fly on the wall so I can watch people do silly things when they don’t know they’re being watched. That, and I would mess with people, haunting style.

AND FINALLY, WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT WORKING AT THE CO-OP?
Everyone who works here makes this a co-op family. We try to exercise stewardship by helping out other teams, whether you’re hauling thousands of pounds of grain up into the brewery, washing dishes for the kitchen or front of house, or eating a delicious family meal made by the kitchen.