Meet Christina Avgerinos
What is your name?
Christina Avgerinos
What’s your official job title?
UDAR Workplace Experience Manager
Years/Months at NYU:
13 days shy of my 6 year workaversary
What’s your hometown?
Piscataway, NJ
What kind of projects do you work on?
My role is operations focused wherein I oversee implementation of policies and procedures at UDAR to ensure a best-in-class experience at work inclusive of building a positive culture and community while upholding UDAR and NYU values. During the early stages of the pandemic, shortly after starting at UDAR, I worked on COVID mitigation planning and Return to Office. Some projects I currently work on include but aren’t limited to: hybrid remote work, on/offboarding employees, and orchestrating move logistics & change management for new office space.
What is your role in the AMC?
I serve in the following AMC roles: Vice-chair, Alternate Senator, Bylaws Committee Chair and Parliamentarian, and UDAR Representative
Any advice for new administrators?
I’ll build upon some advice I received from my Violet family before accepting a job at NYU: “Nothing will be handed to you on a silver platter. The onus is on you to seek out the appropriate resources and information.” Although that may be true and incredibly daunting when you first arrive at NYU, that doesn’t correlate with no one is willing to help you and you’re on your own to navigate those resources. If anything, I’d argue it’s quite the opposite. Many times the resources and information you need exists, you just need a helping hand to locate them. Don’t be afraid to speak up and ask for help – whether that’s a teammate, school/unit colleague, or a fellow administrator in another part of NYU.
What does a typical day look like for you?
My past few months have been anything but typical as a newlywed living through two simultaneous renovations – my home and a new office space. On my in-office days, I wake up far too early for my NJ Transit commute, but at least get to do so with my favorite commuting buddy, my husband. Once I arrive at Penn Station, I walk to UDAR’s new office location (currently an active construction site) for standing weekly construction meetings to discuss the progress, timeline, and outstanding items. After doing a walkthrough of the site and taking pictures, I return to 25 West 4th and author copy for an Intranet post so all UDAR staff can view progress thus far on the space. In preparing for our impending move, I can usually be found answering emails/Gchats inquiring about move details, authoring upcoming communications, presenting at monthly Town Halls, planning logistics and schedules, crafting diligent follow-ups and Zoom meetings with relevant stakeholders for outstanding items on our move to-do list, and meeting with New Hires to facilitate their onboarding.
What is your fondest memory in your time here?
One of my fondest memories took place during my time at the School of Law in an event planning role. It was my first large-scale event within three months of being employed at NYU for the debut of the Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging with Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor as the guest of honor. No pressure whatsoever.
I collaborated with the center’s Executive Director and Administrative Assistant to carefully craft run of shows, briefings, and staff plans for their inaugural event while corresponding with the U.S. Marshall Service and NYU’s Protective Services to arrange the Justice’s security detail that day. Fast forward to event day wherein McGruff the bomb-sniffing golden retriever was late on his route thus delaying the security sweep and door open time. Upon his arrival, after being persuaded with bananas, McGruff underwent sniff duty in Tishman Auditorium up and down each row. During sniff duty, his eagerly wagging tail kept knocking down all of our set-up Reserved tent cards. After sniff duty was complete, McGruff flipped on his back rolling from side-to-side demanding belly rubs for being a good boy. I couldn’t be mad as that was probably the most adorable thing I’ve seen. I’m convinced my event planning mantra “take plans A through G throw them out the window and you’re going with plan H on day-of” is attributable to this event.
Do you have a hidden talent?
I have a fairly keen eye for color matching and coordination. My family affectionately calls me the “color consultant.” It’s been immensely helpful for all the items I need to select for my ongoing renovation projects.
In this digital age, it’s become quite the challenge to do virtually given variety in color displays on screens. But I recently selected kitchen wedding registry items solely using the color scheme of our kitchen renderings (when we only had the countertop and cabinets selected).
If you were a superhero, who would you be and why?
I’m a Marvel fan (sorry DC!) so I’d say Wanda Maximoff/The Scarlett Witch. As the most powerful superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she can manipulate time and space altering reality, and she makes the improbable possible. Those superpowers would come in very handy. Also, who wouldn’t want the ability to harness and unleash something called Chaos Magic?!
Coffee or tea?
Coffee through and through. Picture the passion Lorelai Gilmore of The Gilmore Girls has for coffee, “I can’t stop drinking the coffee. I stop drinking the coffee, I stop doing the…words putting into sentence doing.” It was rough the one year I gave up coffee for Lent. Although I must admit tea has a special place in my heart since I studied abroad in the UK during undergrad.
Describe yourself in only three words.
Detail-oriented, tenacious, collaborative
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