Building Brooks: Cultivating a Culture of Success
Christie Trevino
Director of Administration, Brooks – Christie@livebrooks.com
Christie Trevino is the architect of the team-oriented internal culture that has helped to propel Brooks’ success in building a vibrant mixed-use community on the 1,308-acre Southside campus. As the Director of Administration, Christie has built a workplace environment where a “small but mighty” team operates as the engine of Brooks, translating ambitious redevelopment plans into reality.
Christie’s journey to Brooks was fortuitous; after losing her job in HR at a local accounting firm due to a corporate acquisition, she was offered an opportunity that aligned with her passion for team development. “The Lord doesn’t close a door unless he has big plans for you,” Christie said, reflecting on the transition that brought her to Brooks. When she started in 2016, Brooks Development Authority operated out of a segmented building – a retrofit of what once served as the Air Force Base’s daycare. When given the opportunity to move the team to WatersEdge, the Southside’s first state-of-the-art Class A office building on the Brooks campus, Christie prioritized creating a more open-space floorplan, enhancing efficiency and collaboration.
At Brooks, Christie leverages her over two decades of HR expertise to foster a team-oriented culture that is guided and inspired by the organization’s core values. These values – Know it is bigger than us, Think big and fantastic!, Stop. Collaborate & Listen, Own it, and Get it done – are more than just words on a wall but the fabric of daily operations at Brooks. Christie works to ensure the team lives by these principles, fueling a culture where continuous learning, collaboration, quality engagement, and a sense of belonging flourish.
Christie’s human-centric approach emphasizes the importance of each team member’s unique role in helping Brooks fulfill its mission. She cultivates a positive work environment that not only focuses on achieving business objectives but also on the personal growth and development of the Brooks team. Her work as a health and life coach extends her influence beyond the corporate sphere as she helps individuals tackle diverse challenges in their personal lives – from physical health to career to personal relationships. Like her leadership style, her coaching philosophy is rooted in empathy and empowerment. “It’s not about having all the answers – it’s about being willing to share your experiences and lessons learned with those who can benefit from them. It’s about walking alongside others, offering guidance, encouragement, and support as they navigate their path.”
Drawing from her role as a mother to two daughters, Christie infuses her workplace interactions with the same empathy, warmth, and openness she brings to her family life. Her mantra, “Don’t take yourself too seriously, enjoy life, enjoy the moment, and always be kind,” permeates her personal and professional relationships, fostering a nurturing and supportive atmosphere wherever she goes.
Through her leadership, Christie Trevino demonstrated how nurturing a robust internal culture can facilitate greater community-focused outcomes. The culture she has helped cultivate at Brooks is a testament to the power of good people who fit well together and complement each other’s strengths, making the team effective and extraordinary in their collective capacity to create transformative change.
