Physical Address:
The University of Texas System
Real Estate Office
Ashbel Smith Hall, Suite 416
201 West 7th Street
Austin, Texas 78701
Mailing Address:
The University of Texas System
Real Estate Office
201 West 7th Street, Suite 416
Austin, Texas 78701
Phone: 512.499.4333
Fax: 512.499.4388
Mail Code: P3303
There are eleven members of the Real Estate Office, each with complementary skills and experience, and all of whom work together to provide services to the U. T. institutions. Our organizational structure is a flat one, with all staff reporting directly to the executive director.
The University of Texas System Real Estate Office
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Florence Mayne, Executive Director: Florence has been executive director of the Real Estate Office since October 2004. In her current role and in a prior role in the Office of General Counsel, she has handled numerous and varied real estate transactions, including ground leases, purchases, sales, and easements. She received the degree of Doctor of Jurisprudence with High Honors from U. T. Austin in 1986. She also received degrees of Bachelor of Music with Highest Honors and Master of Fine Arts from U. T. Austin. Upon receiving her law degree, Florence went into private practice before joining the U. T. System in January 1994, serving first as a real estate attorney and then as manager of the business law section of the Office of General Counsel beginning in 1999. She served as the assistant to the executive vice chancellor for business affairs from March 2001 to September 2003, and then as assistant vice chancellor for operations and support services from September 2003 to October 2004. She also served as the compliance officer for System Administration from September 2001 to October 2004.
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Kirk Tames, Assistant Director: Kirk joined the Real Estate Office and the U. T. System in February 2005 and was promoted to assistant director in September 2007. He handles a variety of transactions, including purchases, sales, leases and easements. He received a Master of Business Administration from U. T. Austin in 1992 and a Bachelor of Architecture and a Bachelor of Arts from Rice University in Houston, Texas. Kirk’s prior experience has been entirely in the private sector. After becoming a licensed architect, Kirk served as a senior real estate consultant with Kenneth Leventhal & Company, and then served as a development analyst for Insignia Financial Group and First Industrial Realty Trust. Subsequently, Kirk served as a regional development officer for First Industrial Realty Trust, in which capacity he developed industrial warehouse and office/tech buildings.
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Kathy Libersat, Senior Real Estate Officer: Kathy has been in the Real Estate Office since 1985. She previously worked at U. T. Austin for seven years and graduated from that institution in 1984 with a Bachelor in Journalism. Kathy is primarily responsible for evaluating and processing real estate gifts and bequests of real estate. She is also responsible for the management and disposition of a portion of the trust assets and handles transactions such as leases, sales, purchases and easements. Kathy is an active member of the Association of University Real Estate Officers, having served as secretary of the national organization for 4 years.
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Ed Walts, Senior Real Estate Officer: Ed joined the Real Estate Office in September 2006. He handles a variety of transactions, including purchases, sales, leases and easements. Ed previously was executive vice president for Harwood International in Dallas, Texas, for five years where he provided asset and property management services and risk management services. An attorney by training, Ed was with the Dallas office of Strasburger & Price, LLP, from 1974 to 2001. Ed received a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from U. T. Austin.
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Derek Silva , Real Estate Officer: Derek joined the Real Estate Office in February 2008. He has significant experience in lease analysis and negotiations. Derek's primary responsibility is for lease transactions. Prior to joining the Real Estate Office, Derek worked as a commercial broker with NAI Austin and then with Transwestern in Austin. As a broker, he focused on tenant representation, corporate services and investment sales, and advising clients in the acquisition and disposition of office and industrial properties. Derek is also a former chemist and received his Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Stephen F. Austin State University.
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Suzanne Mitchell, Real Estate Officer: Suzanne joined the Real Estate Office in August 2008. She handles a variety of real estate transactions, as well as legislative analyses. She spent several years at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, first as a Legal Officer in the Office of Legal Services, and then as Manager of Environmental Compliance in the Department of Environmental Health and Safety. Most recently, she was Director of Management and Administration for Truehome.net. Suzanne received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in English at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and her law degree from the University of Michgan Law School.
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Linda Sarrels, Real Estate Specialist: Linda began her U. T. career at U. T. System in January 1988 with the System Personnel Office and transferred to the Real Estate Office in July 1989. As real estate specialist since 2002, Linda handles gift processing and mortgages, and assists the real estate officers with various real estate transactions and file research. She attended Hardin-Simmons University from 1973 to 1975 and in 2005 she received the Associate of Applied Science Degree in Real Estate from Austin Community College.
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Tina Faltysek, Real Estate Specialist: Tina has been in the Real Estate Office since March 1999, when she began as an office associate. She was subsequently promoted to real estate specialist. In her current role, she updates and maintains the Real Estate Asset Inventory System for real estate assets donated or bequeathed to U. T. institutions. She monitors the taxes, insurance, mortgage and lease payments on those assets and provides information and reports to the real estate officers. In addition to monitoring the trust assets, Tina also works with appraisal districts and tax offices regarding campus acquisitions and sales.
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Trisha Meloncon, Real Estate Legal Assistant: Trisha joined the Real Estate Office team in April 2007 as an administrative associate and was promoted to legal assistant in January 2008. Her duties are to assist the real estate officers with real estate transaction documentation and serve as records coordinator. While working full time at Southern Hills United Methodist Church in Lexington, Kentucky, she earned her Associate's Degree in Paralegal Studies from Sullivan University. In 1994, she moved with her family to the Austin area where she worked as a paralegal for over thirteen years.
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Jason Garcia, Administrative Associate: Jason joined the Real Estate Office in February 2008. His current duties are to provide administrative support to three of the real estate officers, prepare agenda items for presentation to the Board of Regents, and manage office accounts. Jason’s prior work experience includes real estate management as well as accounting and administrative support for academic institutions and software corporations. Jason received his Bachelor of Arts in Government from the University of Texas at Austin in 2007.
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Karen Bewley, Real Estate Assistant: Karen joined U.T. System in July 2008 and provides administrative support to the executive director and two real estate officers. Her other duties include maintaining the Real Estate Office webpage, preparing agenda items, and assisting real estate officers with property research. Prior to joining U.T. System, Karen worked in executive administrative support for a number of State of Texas agencies, as well as in the private sector. Karen received her Certificate of Training in Paralegal Studies from Durham Nixon-Clay Business College in December 1986.
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How to Contact Members of the Real Estate Office.
You are welcome to contact any member of the Real Estate Office who will either assist you or connect you with the right resource either in our office or elsewhere. Check out the areas of responsibility of the staff members, above, for guidance on whom might be best able to help you. Our main office number is 512-499-4333; our fax number is 512-499-4388. Our office address is 201 W. 7th Street, Suite 416, Austin, Texas 78701. Additional contact information can be found below.
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