Union College Schenectady, NY | Union College Hospitality

Megan Alexandre

Megan is an experienced professional with over 20 years of expertise in the catering and dining services industry. Throughout her career, Megan has worked in various roles and has gained extensive knowledge of the industry. Her latest role was as a Supervisor at Siena, where she led a team of professionals and ensured the highest level of service for customers. Apart from her vast experience, Megan is also ServSafe certified in all the major nine allergens. This certification is a testament to her commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of others.

Samantha Sickles

Assistant Director of Retail Operations
dining@union.edu

Samantha went to Schenectady County Community College where she got two associate degrees, one in culinary arts, and the other in hotel restaurant management. While at college Samantha worked full-time for the Albany Marriott for five years, then went to Hilton Garden Inn working in culinary for 13 years. When Samantha is not at work she loves to spend time with her friends and family.

Jean Baldwin

Director of Resident Dining
baldwinj@union.edu

Jean joins the team with over 30 years of experience in the food and hospitality industry. Jeans’ goal at Union College Hospitality is to standardize the system to enhance the dining experience for the students, faculty, and staff. In her free time, Jean enjoys staying active by training in martial arts and spending time with her family, especially her three grandchildren.

Heidi Hoyt

Director of Catering
hoyth2@union.edu

Heidi has been involved in hospitality since she was a teenager. She has been a chef for 30 years which included 18 years of her owning a catering company and restaurant. Heidi loves catering because an event usually marks a very special occasion in people’s lives. Heidi has had the pleasure of catering amazing events spanning from Westchester County to the Canadian border. At home, Heidi loves working in her gardens with her husband and cooking with her two grandchildren.

Helen Devita

Director of Retail Operations
dining@union.edu

Helen has been in Schenectady and at Union for six years. She loves that there are always interesting challenges each day and no day is ever the same. Helen also really enjoys working with students and getting to know them. When not at work, Helen enjoys going on day trips and exploring new places with her husband. She also loves going to see her family in Binghamton whenever she can.

Kyle Charon

Catering Executive Chef
dining@union.edu

Chef Kyle grew up on the farm and learned the importance of food and how it brought people together around the table. Ever since he was young Kyle had a love for cooking. He started to cook for nursing homes and restaurants than colleges. Kyle loves working at Union and seeing the people he cooks for daily. The diverse collection of cultures and cuisines is what makes Kyle passionate about cooking. In his off time, Kyle enjoys hiking and camping with his wife and dogs. If he is not outdoors he is competing in amateur powerlifting competitions.

Serogeni Singh

Lead Campus Baker
dining@union.edu

Serogeni has been working at Union for 15 years. Serogeni has had a passion and love for baking ever since she was younger. She loves being able to create new goodies daily. Serogeni has loved being able to work with students daily. She loves making deserts that make students and employees happy. In her free time, Serogeni loves to garden, bake and be with her kids.

Christopher Faraci

Campus Sous Chef
dining@union.edu

Christopher started at Union as the Retail Chef. He creates the dining menu for the retail spaces at Union. Recently, Christopher has been promoted to Executive Sous Chef, working under Todd Cutler assisting dining units. In 2017 Christopher won the best burger in upstate New York. He enjoys working at Union because he can create unique dishes that cater to the Union students. In his free time, Chris loves to work out and spend time with his wife and dog.

Todd Cutler

Campus Executive Chef
dining@union.edu

Todd is the Executive Chef with American Dining Creations which partners with Union College. Todd met his passion for culinary arts in his early teens and has dedicated his career to sharing his passion with others. Todd has had the pleasure of creating and executing menus for Fine Dining, Farm to Table, Beer Gardens, and Colleges. Away from work Todd enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter. He also enjoys going to Syracuse basketball games and going to Fenway Park to see the Red Sox.

Wayne Archambault

Office Assistant
dining@union.edu

Wayne has been with Union College for almost 30 years. Most of his time at Union has been spent working in Hospitality and Dining Services. Wayne loves interacting with the students and making sure they get the most out of their meal plans. Wayne wants to make sure that each student has an amazing experience at Union. In his free time, Wayne loves to listen to music and be around cats.

Karen Dagostino

Office Manager
dining@union.edu

Karen has been working at Union for 30 years. She loves interacting with the students and the Departments on Campus. Karen gets to engage with the students on a daily basis and that is her favorite part of the day. Karen has three children and seven grandchildren and on her free time she loves to cook for her big family.

Samantha Flagler

Marketing Manager Samantha
dining@union.edu

Samantha has been with Union for only a couple of months. Just recently she graduated from SUNY Oneonta in Media. During her time in college interned at Glitter Magazine and SUNY Center for Professional Development. During her time at Union she has been able to work on the social media’s, collaborate with students and work on digital designs. On her free time Samantha loves to watch Marvel, be with her friends and family and play with her dog Munson.

Timothy Forte

Rachel Miller

Director of Hospitality
millerr@union.edu

Rachel Miller has held several leadership positions at notable institutions, most recently as the Senior Director of Dining Services at Siena College. She looks forward to continuing her dedication to making a difference in the lives of students, faculty, and staff. Rachel spends time with her husband Josh and her son Thomas. She enjoys music and baking specialty breads and
pastries.

John Thivierge

Reamer Dining Hall Manager
thivierj@union.edu

John has been working with Union for four years. He finds working at Union is rewarding because he can brighten a students spirit when they are away from home. Being able to work at Reamer Dining Hall allows John to make a real difference in every students life. On his free time John searches, saves and sells vintage unique items through his virtual garage sale. He loves finding pieces that make up our history.

Phillip Huff

Executive Reamer Dining Hall Chef

Phillip is the Executive Chef at Reamer Dining Hall at Union College Hospitality. Phillip graduated from The Culinary Institute of America. He has 29 years of culinary experience and has been published in several newspapers and magazines. On his off time, Phillip spends his time hiking and being outside.

Thomas Lawson

Reamer Dining Hall Supervisor
lawsont@union.edu

Thomas has been with Union Hospitality for over 20 years starting in January 2002. Thomas has earned two degrees at Schenectady County Community College in Culinary Arts and Hotel & Restaurant Management. Most of his time at Union has been spent supervising Reamer Dining Hall. Thomas loves seeing familiar faces daily and loves being able to interact with the students. In his free time, Thomas enjoys live music, watching the Red Sox and Patriots, and being able to spend time with his nephews.

Luca Brunelle

Chef Manager

Luca works as the Chef Manager in Retail. Before working at Union College Hospitality Lucca worked at multiple regional restaurants like Bellini’s, Browns Brewing Company, and Indian Ladder Farms. In his free time, Lucca enjoys family time with his daughters and listening to music.

Samantha Bond

Catering Manager

Samantha has been in hospitality for over 15 years ranging from hotels, country clubs, and restaurants. In hospitality, Samantha worked in a plethora of departments working front of the house, catering operations, and beverage manager. Samantha for three years owned a farm-to-table restaurant with her husband. In her free time, Samantha loves to go on adventures and travel with her husband and three cats.

Edward Cote

West Supervisor

cotee@union.edu

Edward has been with Union for over four years. During his time at Union, he has been able to be a chef at West and also a supervisor. Edward loves working at West because it is where he gets to interact with students on a personal level. West is primarily a freshman dining hall. Being able to watch the students grow up from freshman to seniors is very rewarding. In Edwards’s free time he loves spending time with his son, watching baseball, and being outside.

Patricia Quinn

Senior Catering Supervisor
quinnp@union.edu

Patricia has been working at Union for 26 years and has loved being able to work with a wonderful dining team. Patricia enjoys working closely with the staff, faculty and students. Her main goal is to ensure that everyone has a wonderful dining experience. When Patricia is not working she enjoys spending time with her family which now includes her first grandchild.

Carol Gagliardi

Director of Operations
gagliac2@union.edu

Carol has been with Union/American Dining Creations for four years. She loves working with this dynamic dining and catering team because everyone looks out for each other and everyone works as a team. Carol enjoys working with an array of customers at Union but especially the students. She loves assisting with their themed menus and events. In her free time, Carol enjoys spending time with her family, especially at Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester, MA.

Janis Maggs

West Dining Manager
maggsj@union.edu

Janis has been with Union for over 21 years. Janis has worked as a Chef for West Dining and worked in management for catering. Janis then moved to the manager at West Dining and has been there for 12 years. Janis graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Education. Before entering Union Janis worked in Advertising for 10 years. After having her daughter Janis began to pursue her career in culinary. In her free time, Janis loves to travel and spend time with her daughter.

Amanda Burns

Catering Manager

Amanda Burns is the Catering Manager at Union College Hospitality. She started working at Union College this year. Before working at Union, she worked in Senior living for 11 years. She enjoys working at Union College Hospitality because the people here are all welcoming and come together as a team. Amanda in her free time spends quality time with her three children.

About Us

Meet The Team

Administration

Rachel Miller

Carol Gagliardi

Office

Samantha Flagler

Karen Dagostino

Wayne Archambault

Culinary Leadership

Todd Cutler

Christopher Faraci

Serogeni Singh

Catering

Heidi Hoyt

Kyle Charon

Megan Alexandre

Reamer and West Dining Halls

Jean Baldwin

Retail Dining

Helen Devita

Samantha Sickles

How Are We Doing?

Contact Us

Dining

Quick Links

Services

Samantha Sickles