James believes in drinking good beer, eating good food, and above all cooperation. A longtime patron of Black Star, James started attending board meetings in 2019 to get more involved with this unique establishment that he loves so much. You can often find him reading or listening to the news on his phone with a pint at the bar. Don't mind the earbuds: say hello and ask what's up at black star... Or tell James what you think should be up!

Autumn is a rare Austin native who grew up in Crestview and comes from a family of Black Star Co-Op Members and Board Members. She graduated with a B.A. in Communications and French from Trinity University, but quickly found her passion in Education. Autumn was a Teach For America corps member, where she taught K-1-2 in New Orleans. She later joined the Peace Corps, where she taught at a local University and volunteered alongside Social Workers at the Department of Social Welfare and Development. After falling in love with the language and community in the Philippines, she decided to stay and opened up a Coffee Roastery /Brew Pub and a Waldorf based Wild School on the island of Palawan. Autumn currently works as a partnership manager for a Non-Profit in the edtech space. Outside of work you can find her crocheting, walking her dog, and enjoying all the delicious beers Austin has to offer!

Daniel was raised in Dallas, Texas, graduated from Texas A&M with a degree in Architecture in 1985 and moved to Austin in 1990. Daniel is a Project Development and Facilities Director for the University of Texas. Daniel and his wife Jennifer first came to Black Star because they had heard what a great place it was to have good beer, good food, and good company. They have been Member-Owner’s since 2018, believing in the idea, and practice, of a cooperative that supports a living-wage, was democratically organized, and attached to the local community. Daniel wants to leverage his 37 years of experience as an architect, project developer, facilities manager, construction owner, and beer snob, to help Black Star continue to develop itself into one of the premier brew/pubs in Austin.

Born in the UK, Graham moved to Austin a decade ago and has since learned to appreciate cold, hoppy, fizzy beer - though he still pines for the British ales of his youth. Graham works at a local engineering company where he has built a career in product marketing and business strategy. A local Brentwood resident, Graham is passionate about creating in-person meeting spaces that can bring the community together to the benefit of all. Graham has been an active and visible board member since 2018, leading the member development committee and consulting with the WA on marketing and strategy. As he enters his final year of board tenure, he is keen to support the next generation of Black Star leaders to take the Co-op to new levels.

Jeffrey W. Ouellette, the “man of many hats”, is a construction industry IT consultant. Leveraging his past 30+ years of experience in design, construction, software development and marketing, data standards development and implementation, he is an independent advisor for local, national, and international companies and organizations that desire to modernize and become more digitally adept. Jeff’s work provides him an opportunity to regularly travel around the world and enthusiastically experience a wide variety of drink, food, and social culture, with stories he will gladly share with you over a pint… or two. He has been a resident of Austin since 1996, a BSC member-owner since 2018, and is married to a rare species, the native Austinite, Rebecca, with whom have two teenagers and a dog… all appreciative patrons of the Co-op.

Originally from Detroit via Michigan State before relocating to Austin, moving back in 1998 after spending most of the 90’s in Los Angeles, Pete is thankful that both Michigan and Texas have developed outstanding craft breweries. His day job is handling intellectual property and litigation for a local engineering firm, which experience, and skills, Pete will bring to making Black Star an even bigger and better going concern. He has been to all 50 states, most of the Canadian provinces, and all of the MLB ballparks, completing that series with a visit to Toronto last summer after a few years of unexpected postponement. Pete is responsible for way too many cats, but those are his “kids,” and enjoys all sports, travel, reading and sampling craft breweries nationwide, his favorite styles being IPA’s, Imperial Stouts and even an odd Sour mixed in from time to time.

Originally from southeastern Virginia, Ben eventually made his way westward as a chemical engineering PhD candidate at UT Austin, studying carbon capture and associated environmental mitigation strategies. Contrasting spells in rural Iowa and Arkansas, as well as Baton Rouge, his time in Austin has fostered a deep love and appreciation for good craft beer and the workers behind the bar and kitchen at Black Star. Just a hop away from the cooperative, he loves popping in after a long week and making conversation with anyone at the bar. Outside of craft beer and academia, he enjoys volunteering at the humane society, weightlifting, playing soccer, and training for half marathons!

Jodi first became familiar with the Black Star Co-op community when she moved from the beautiful state of New Jersey to Midtown Commons in 2011. While the beloved neighborhood pub quickly became her happy third place, it wasn’t until 2013 that she joined the Workers’ Assembly as a Pub Team member. With several years of service experience behind her, Black Star seemed to present a new set of challenges and opportunities that would set her on a new path entirely. After a few years of hustling about the busy pub, Jodi was voted on as Pub Team Manager, a short lived position before moving into a role on the Business Team under the tutelage of Dana Curtis and Nicole Renoux. Eventually becoming Business Team Manager, and then Board-Staff Liaison, Jodi would work with the Board of Directors and Workers’ Assembly to guide the pub through the murky Covid times. She left the co-op as a worker in 2022, but joined on as an appointed Board Member in early 2024, hoping to offer some historical context of how our complex cooperative functions to a new group of workers and directors. “Black Star Forever!”

Johnny first fell in love with the Co-op Movement in 2002 when he began working as a cashier at the Wheatsville Food Co-op. Within a few years he served his first term on the Wheatsville Board of Directors, and in 2006 got involved as a founding member of Black Star Co-op, eventually serving as the Co-op’s Kitchen Team Leader from 2010 to 2017. After leaving the Co-op, Johnny went on to run Edwise Hospitality (Contigo and affiliated businesses), and Present Tense Hospitality (Salt & Time) before leaving the industry in 2022. Johnny is a native Austinite and lives in South Austin with his wife and cats.