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Interview

Meet the real: Zandra Ewell

September 15, 2017

Meet Zandra Ewell. Zandra joined the firm in September 2016 as the office manager of our newly opened Houston office and is a member of our Hispanics or Latinxs of AlixPartners (HOLA) employee resource group. In her Q&A, she shares her favorite travel memories, what gives her inspiration, and more. 

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Meet Zandra Ewell. Zandra joined the firm in September 2016 as the office manager of our newly opened Houston office and is a member of our Hispanics or Latinos of AlixPartners (HOLA) employee resource group. In her Q&A, she shares her favorite travel memories, what gives her inspiration, and more. 

Meet Zandra Ewell. Zandra joined the firm in September 2016 as the office manager of our newly opened Houston office and is a member of our Hispanics or Latinos of AlixPartners (HOLA) employee resource group. In her Q&A, she shares her favorite travel memories, what gives her inspiration, and more. 

Q: Have you always lived in your current city? If not, where have you lived and what brought you to your current location?

A: I am originally from San Antonio, a short three-hour drive west of Houston, in Texas’ beautiful Hill Country. I moved to Houston nine years ago in search of better opportunities and a change of scenery - I haven’t really looked back since.

Q: For those visiting your current city, what is one place you'd tell them to visit (must-see)?

A: That’s tough, Houston is a truly expansive city – Space Center Houston is absolutely at the top of the list, but Houston has really great museums and public art spaces, one of which is the James Turrell Skyspace on the Rice University campus.

Q: Name a place you haven't been to before, but would like to visit.

A: I’d really like to visit Peru and Bolivia to get a closer look at the indigenous people of the Andes, Latin American culture is so diverse and rich that, despite my recent travels, I have only seen the tip of the iceberg there.

Q: What is your favorite (best/worst/funniest) travel memory?

A: I went to Rome in May and managed to misplace the key to my Airbnb; I hadn’t noticed until well after dusk and the host was not able to get me a spare for several hours. I decided to spend that time sightseeing, except that I got incredibly lost, finally gave up, sat down for a drink, and made great friends with a few other patrons. That ended up being my favorite part of the trip. I saw some beautiful parts of the city I wouldn’t have otherwise.

Q: What activities do you most enjoy outside of your job (hobbies, philanthropic efforts, etc.)?

A: I really enjoy taking road trips, cycling, and camping, but I spend most of my time outside the office working on a collection of short stories.  

Q: Name your favorite restaurant – where is it and what do you love most about it?

A: Il Corallo in Rome, it was right outside of my Airbnb, I waited until the last night of my trip to try it – a very low fuss place with extraordinary spaghetti carbonara and great wine.

Q: Name a high spot of working at AlixPartners.

A: It’s hard to name just one. My first day at AlixPartners was also the grand opening of the Houston Office, so there is some sentimentality there for me – working and witnessing the growth and comradery from the ground up is really kind of an amazing thing, I feel fortunate to have come in at such an interesting time.

Q: What gives you motivation/inspiration?

A: People, without question, I believe that the relationships we create in life (work included) are our best opportunities for introspection, growth, and knowledge.