Every month we focus on an outstanding staff member of the BCM Family.

This month, it’s Catherine Tasnier, with the Program in Developmental Biology.

Name: Catherine Tasnier

Title: Director, Administrative Operations

Department: Program in Developmental Biology

Catherine Tasnier

How long have you been at BCM? More than 20 years

What are your favorite things about working at BCM? I do not have an 8 to 5 job. I work with a diverse group of developmental biology students, postdocs and faculty members. I have a lot of autonomy and freedom; I can challenge myself by increasing the breadth of my responsibilities and not having to stick to the safe and comfortable.

Where were you born? Brussels, Belgium

What is your favorite kind of food? Fresh, flavorful, creative but not-overly-complicated food, preferably healthy, organic, local

What is your favorite restaurant in Houston, and at that restaurant your favorite dish? Shade & Canopy, Sparrow (bar and cookshop), and Nippon – restaurants with a casual, relaxing, neighborhood feel, whose (local) owners/ chefs change their menus or can surprise me

What’s on your music playlist? The Pretenders, Nathalie Merchant, Alicia Keys, Axelle Red, Stromae, Wit-Lof from Belgium, Zuchero, Chris Isaak, Roy Orbison, Ry Cooder, Ibrahim Ferrer, The Bueno Vista Social Club

Favorite music/musician? I like many genres and many musicians, and I have a favorite radio station: 90.1, KPFT, Pacifica Radio which broadcasts an eclectic selection of music in “Wide Open Spaces,” “Music without Borders,” “World Music Express,” “Blues on the Move,” etc.

What is your dream vacation? New Zealand, Tasmania and mainland Australia

What is your favorite TV show? I like to watch “The Colbert Report,” “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” “The Late Late Show” with Craig Ferguson, and also “Project Runway”

Complete this sentence: Most people wouldn’t know that I….   know much more about them than they know about me…

What are some of your personal hobbies? Art, music, cats, outdoor activities

Last books you read? Belgian comics and John Steinbeck’s “Travel with Charley in Search of America”

Last movies you saw? “The Sessions” and “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World”

Any kids? Pets? Two cats, Bambou and Kapoen

Favorite BCM/Medical Center hangout? The hallway as well as the espresso (and copy) room next the my office