Dana R. Willett, Associate Vice Provost and Executive Director

Dana R. Willett has more than twenty years of experience leading and advancing credit and non-credit programming to grow professional, online and international learning units at Texas State University, Austin Peay State University and the University of Southern Indiana. He completed a BA in English and an MBA at the University of Southern Indiana.

Away from work he collects music, tinkers with electronics projects, and reads with a preference for biography, history and science

Amanda Golden, Chief of Staff and Director of Enrollment and Student Services

Amanda Golden has over 15 years’ experience working in higher education and helping students navigate the college and university setting. Prior to joining Extended Education Ventures, Amanda worked in the Cockrell School of Engineering and the McCombs School of Business where she coached students on best practices for leveraging their classroom and co-curricular experiences for success in their academic and professional aspirations. Amanda earned her undergraduate degree from The University of Texas at Austin and earned a master’s degree from St. Edward’s University.

When away from the office, Amanda enjoys reading a good book, working on puzzles, and spending time with her family.

Maribel Barrios-Quezada, Interim Director of Marketing

Maribel Barrios-Quezada is an accomplished marketing and communications leader with more than 20 years of experience leading strategic initiatives across media strategy, agency management, crisis communications, and multichannel marketing. She specializes in creating data-driven, customer-centric campaigns that elevate brand visibility, boost engagement, and drive meaningful business growth. 

Outside of work, she enjoys reading, staying active through fitness and mindfulness practices, exploring the great state of Texas with her husband, and spending quality time with family.

Erin Harris, Director of Course Programming

Erin Harris is a lifelong adult education professional. At UT Austin since 2004, she’s worked with units ranging from community programs to executive education, collaborating with faculty to identify new continuing education opportunities and bring them to market. Erin is responsible for academic product strategy and development at EEV, overseeing areas including market research and instructional design.

Outside of the office, Erin is an avid reader of golden-age detective novels and loves traveling to amusement parks.

Siddhi Nim, Director of Technology (vacant)

Siddhi Nim is an impact-driven and seasoned solution-oriented IT leader with more than 15 years of experience leading large cross functional teams globally to drive excellence in  implementation of medium to large scale enterprise IT projects, streamlining operations, spearheading strategies to deliver scalable innovative systems which realize business strategic goals. Siddhi has experience working for both private and public sectors (Dell, Toronto Dominion Bank, UT Austin, Texas Health & Human Services Commission, Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services etc.) in diverse domains. Siddhi is an  Electrical Engineering undergraduate from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi and completed MBA from The University of Texas.   

Apart from work, she loves listening to music, dancing, traveling, hiking, yoga, Zumba, and other fitness routines, alongside spending time with family.

Aaron Sinkar, Senior Financial and Administrative Officer

Aaron Sinkar began his career in higher education in 2007, supporting business services functions in a variety of units, including IT, libraries and continuing education. Aaron is responsible for the financial strategy and business operations at EEV. He is involved with several committees supporting the growth and best practices of continuing education at UT Austin and serves on UPCEA’s Board of Directors Finance Committee (2022-2024).

Outside of work, Aaron likes to spend time with his family, traveling, camping, and taking a dip in the closest river, lake, or beach. 

Liliya Spinazzola, Senior Director, Extended Campus Custom Training

Liliya Spinazzola leads the Extended Campus Custom Training (ECCT) team, whose primary focus is to create custom training for all types of businesses by connecting industry leaders and top UT faculty to identify employee needs for professional growth, and in the process, building world-class professional development solutions. Liliya has been with UT Austin since 2010 and has a passion for delivering cutting-edge professional education programs for government, non-profit, corporate and military industries.

During her free time, Liliya loves gardening and taking long walks with her Newfoundland, Hopa, and her Bernese Mountain Dog, Mishka.

Laura Tibbits, Director of Facility Strategy and Programming

Laura Tibbitts returned to the Forty Acres in 2023, bringing with her over two decades of experience in higher education administration and university conference services. Her career has included roles at Stanford University, the UT System, and the Texas State University System. Laura currently oversees the Thompson Conference Center and its lifelong learning program, UT OLLI, which bring people from across campus and the community together to learn and connect. 

An Austin native, she earned her BS in Advertising from UT’s Moody College of Communication and in 2009, received her Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) designation.