Tatro Named Interim Director of Austin Convention Center Department

Palmer Events Center

AUSTIN, Texas – Trisha Tatro, Assistant Director of the Austin Convention Center Department (ACCD), has been named Interim Director of the department, effective Feb. 9, 2020. As Interim Director, Tatro will temporarily replace former ACCD Director Mark Tester, who departed to head the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida.

“Trisha has 18 years of experience with the Austin Convention Center Department in event and facilities management,” said Rodney Gonzales, City of Austin Assistant City Manager, who made the interim assignment. “She has been involved in the strategic planning of the convention center expansion efforts and has the vision and leadership to keep this project moving forward.”

Tatro has been Assistant Director since 2018 and is a member of the Austin Convention Center Department’s executive team. Her duties as Assistant Director include administration over Facility Operations, Sustainability, Capital Improvement Projects, Event Utilities, Building Maintenance and Parking Operation departments, both at the Austin Convention Center (ACC) and the Palmer Events Center (PEC).

“I have watched our amazing teams passionately serve clients and the public every day,” said Tatro. “I look forward to the opportunity to collaborate with our partners and champion the future of the department as Interim Director.”

As Assistant Director, Tatro managed the $74 million Capital Improvement Project budget for the Austin Convention Center Department that includes the Marshalling Yard and Warehouse design projects and the exterior restoration of the Castleman Bull House. Another successful project led by Tatro was a joint effort in completing the walkways that now connect the Hilton and Fairmont Hotels to the convention center.

Tatro joined the department in 2002 as an intern while working on her Bachelor of Science in Sports Management from the University of Texas at Austin. Since, she has moved up the ladder as an Event Coordinator, Senior Event Coordinator, Event Coordinator Supervisor, Events Services Manager, Convention Facility Manager and as the ACCD Assistant Director.

Located in the heart of downtown, the Austin Convention Center Department is comprised of 500-plus full-time and part-time staff members and is an enterprise department for the City of Austin. Over 10 million people have attended 6,000+ events, including over 900 conventions, at the LEED® Gold-certified Austin Convention Center since it opened in 1992. Events at both the Austin Convention Center and the Palmer Events Center can be accessed at www.austinconventioncenter.com.