• Beverage Director

    Email: Christopher.Cuestas@warehouse215.com

    START DATE: JUNE 2022

    EDUCATION: Christopher graduated from the University of Arizona in 2004 with a degree in Fine Arts.

    EXPERIENCE: Christopher is a creative beverage artist who has spent most of his career working in hospitality and fine dining. In his early years, Christopher worked as a doorman, barback, and bartender and grew into his position from a hole-in-the-wall dive bar to fine dining restaurants across major Arizona cities. Christopher has designed upscale beverage menus that have been distributed nationwide.

    ROLE AT WH215: Christopher's role is incredibly robust, varying from administrative ordering and inventory, to creative through the custom curation of cocktail menus for Warehouse215 events. On any given day you can find Christopher building functional bars, training staff, and occasionally jumping directly into the scene to create a custom cocktail in person!

    PERSONAL INTERESTS: In his free time, Christopher enjoys making electronic music in his custom-built home studio, in the presence of his son and twin daughters whom he greatly covets. As an Arizona native, Christopher is excited to add his personal contribution to the development of Downtown Phoenix through his work at Warehouse215 to elevate the district.

  • Event Manager

    Email: Darnell.Weeden@warehouse215.com

    START DATE: JUNE 2022

    EDUCATION: A proud graduate of Arizona State University, Darnell earned a degree in Special Events Management from the Interdisciplinary Studies School. He is from the graduating class of 2020.

    EXPERIENCE: Darnell's expertise comes from his Hospitality Background. Prior to working at Warehouse215, he maintained a role as a Guest Representative with the Phoenix Suns, managing the experience of high-profile guests. A sports aficionado, Darnell has coached sports fundamentals for children ages 6-12.

    ROLE AT WH215: Darnell takes on the role of an event planner, event organizer, and scheduler. He ensures that each event is running smoothly by coordinating with vendors, clients, and facilities to make sure the event runs in tip-top shape. You will often see Darnell with a walkie-talkie and a to-do list during an event.

    PERSONAL INTERESTS: Born and raised in Chicago, Darnell is naturally a huge Chicago Bulls fan. Darnell moved to Phoenix in 2015 to attend university. Passionate about basketball, he enjoys playing sports recreationally in an all men's basketball league when not at Warehouse215.

  • Event Coordinator

    Email: Eve.burkett@warehouse215.com

    START DATE: NOVEMBER 2023

    EDUCATION: Eve graduates from ASU in May with a bachelor's degree in Tourism Development & Management.

    EXPERIENCE: Eve is well versed in events and customer service. She first explored the event industry as a restaurant support account manager. Eve oversaw the ins and outs of events hosted within the restaurant. She connected the client with the event production team and fostered those relationships throughout the event process. She then worked at the Westin Hotel & Resorts which continued her career in hospitality. Her last job before Warehouse215 was leasing for an apartment complex where she was awarded “BEST in touring”. All of these roles prepared her for her current position.

    ROLE AT WH215: As Event Coordinator, Eve leads our set up crew. She is extremely organized and thorough to bring event layouts to life. Once the event begins she is there to assist with anything that could happen, and if you know events, that is a LOT!

    PERSONAL INTERESTS: When Eve isn’t at work she loves being outside to hike and enjoy nature. She also can’t get enough of traveling, meeting new people and making friends. When she isn’t feeling as social, she reads, journals, goes to the gym, and plays guitar.

  • Facilities Manager

    START DATE: NOV 2022

    EXPERIENCE: JC is a remodeling contractor in Phoenix, Arizona who has been in the industry for 22 years. He owns Above Code Remodeling and participates in personal business projects when not diligently working at Warehouse215. His vast background in remodeling adds another layer of value to our team.

    ROLE AT WH215: JC manages the technical aspect of the floor and is available for all building, and facilities-related management every day at Warehouse 215.

    PERSONAL INTERESTS: JC is a motorcycle aficionado and has been riding for almost 2 decades. You can often find JC on his most prized possession—a beautiful Harley Davidson motorcycle, on late-night rides through Arizona.

  • Event Staff
    Start Date:     July 2024

    Education:
    Luke earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Health Science from Arizona State University.

    Experience:
    Luke brings valuable experience from his time with M Culinary Concepts, where he worked in 2018 supporting large-scale events. Having grown up around the events industry, he has spent years volunteering and developing a strong understanding of event operations and guest service.

    Role at WH215:
    As a member of the Warehouse215 Event Staff team, Luke assists with event and bar setup, provides operational support throughout events, and contributes to bartending and post-event breakdown. He works closely with Event Managers Darnell and Chris to ensure each event runs smoothly and efficiently, maintaining the high standards of professionalism and hospitality expected at Warehouse215.

    Personal Interests:
    Outside of work, Luke enjoys spending time at the gym, traveling, and being outdoors. He values time with friends and family and is passionate about maintaining an active and balanced lifestyle.

  • Mascot

    START DATE: MAY 2022

    EXPERIENCE: Muffin is a beloved retired service dog that has been leading Venue Tours for the past 7 years alongside her owner and our Vice President, Maria Mwangi. Not shy of any camera or visitor, Muffin has been featured in a Style Photoshoot for San Antonio Wedding Magazines and regularly poses for images at Warehouse215.

    ROLE AT WH215: Muffin acts as our Mascot, and proudly patrols all 28 thousand square feet of interior venue space and 9 thousand square feet of outdoor patio space at our grand venue.

    PERSONAL INTERESTS: In her free time, Muffin takes glamour naps, nibbles on deluxe dog food, and patrols the walls of her second home, Warehouse215.

    DISCLAIMER: Warehouse215 welcomes all service animals at our venue, as per legal regulation. Our event venue is not pet friendly during events unless formerly specified as such for select occasions.

  • Executive Assistant
    Email: kathye.allen@warehouse215.com
    Start Date: April 2024

    Education:
    A graduate of Northeastern State University, she earned her degree in Meetings and Destination Management, developing a strong foundation in event planning, operations, and hospitality leadership.

    Awards:
    Recipient of the Best Event Design award at the 2023 Best of Live Awards presented by Live Nation.

    Experience:
    With more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, she has held a wide range of roles that span both client-facing and operational leadership. Her background includes positions such as Inside Sales Event Specialist for multiple event rental companies across the Valley, Operations Manager at a local destination management company, Assistant Front Office Manager at several hotels across various states, and early hospitality experience as a waitress — all of which shaped her well-rounded understanding of customer service and event execution.

    Role at Warehouse215:
    As Executive Assistant at Warehouse215, she serves as a vital link between leadership, staff, clients, and vendors, ensuring seamless communication and organization. She manages calendars, meetings, and correspondence with precision and professionalism while supporting the leadership team in cultivating strong client relationships. Known for anticipating operational needs and implementing systems that improve efficiency, she contributes to everything from team coordination and data management to high-level project support. Her attention to detail and commitment to excellence ensure both daily operations and special initiatives run flawlessly.

    Personal Interests:
    A proud mother to her daughter, Piper, and two beloved dogs, she is an active community leader and past president of both the MdN Cheer and KMS PTO organizations. In her free time, she enjoys watching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the McLaren Formula One team, as well as golfing, gardening, and traveling the world — with favorite destinations including Singapore, Costa Rica, St. Petersburg (Russia), Sweden, and Cinque Terre, Italy. Known for her famous Rice Krispie Treats, Fruit Pizza, and Italian meatballs, she also expresses her creativity through floral design as part of her side business at a local flower shop. A lifelong fan of country music and 80s bands, she’s often found on the dance floor enjoying her favorite tunes.

  • Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

    Email: Maria.Mwangi@warehouse215.com

    EXPERIENCE: Maria Mwangi's award winning event expertise originally started as a hobby in the early 1990's. Maria began her career as a top-producing loan officer and mortgage underwriter for 14 years. During this time, she entered the event world through her church, which allowed her to organize everything from Health Fairs, Carnivals, to Romantic Weddings and Large-Scale Conferences. Shortly after the housing crisis of 2008, Maria moved to San Antonio, Texas where she formally transitioned her career into Event Management. During this time, Maria swept across industries and gathered over 6 Best in San Antonio Awards, 2 Texas Star awards, and 1 International Award from the distinguished International Live Events Association. Her events have been covered in magazines such as the San Antonio Weddings Magazine as well as several other publications which can be found on our Press page. After arriving in Arizona, Maria hit the ground running, immediately winning a Zonies Award for The Best Event Collaboration in Arizona. Maria worked as the Director of Sales for Live Nation in the Phoenix Market before arriving at Warehouse215. Maria just debuted her latest book with a team of collaborators named "Building Me While Building It" and has several more written projects in the works.

    ROLE AT WH215: Originally our Director of Sales and Events, we are happy to announce Maria Mwangi as our new Vice President at Warehouse215. As Vice President, Maria oversees every aspect of logistics and events at our historic Warehouse Venue. Maria works closely with her amazing support staff to oversee sales with Rylee Grafil, logistics and event production with Darnell, social media with Lauren Simmons and bar and beverage packages with Christopher Cuestas.

    PERSONAL INTERESTS: Maria is a widowed mother of 2 wonderful boys. She is the Track and Field Booster President in her spare time. She has a lovely dog named Muffin (who you can often see prancing around her office at Warehouse215), Maria is currently in the Vice President of WISE and formerly the Director of Programs for the ILEA San Antonio Chapter and MPI Vice President of programs and education. A highly multi-faceted character, Maria has explored the world of Plus Size modeling for years and acts as a mentor for individuals in substance abuse recovery. An avid fan of music, Maria can often be found at the latest concerts every weekend with her 2 boys, Ethan and Andre.

We are lucky to have a team of dependable, hardworking and passionate people at our fingertips.
Our team is dedicated to providing you with the best event experience possible.