Dear Campus Operations Team Members,
Thank you all for providing me with an informative and productive first month leading Campus Operations. It is an exciting time for us and our next steps in this organization. We continue to develop our team, and I wanted to let you know about organizational changes as we integrate the Office of Campus Planning and Office of Sustainability into Campus Operations. These changes are effective November 1, 2023.
Planning, Design and Construction
The planning and design division of Campus Planning, led by Kate Haenchen-Jimenez, will now reside in the current Campus Construction organization led by Dan Cook, which will be renamed Planning, Design and Construction. I recognize this department has experienced several name changes, and I acknowledge this can feel overwhelming. However, this name more accurately represents the group's functions. These teams have a history of collaboration that will continue under the same department and build on each group’s talent and focus.
Operational Safety and Support
The technical review division of Campus Planning, led by Nate Atkins, will be organized with Environmental Health and Safety, led by John Salsman, and Fire Prevention Services, led by Waymon Jackson, into a newly formed campus operational safety and standards department. These teams play an important role in providing safety and standards support for our campus. It makes sense to combine them into a department dedicated to oversight of our built campus environment. In the near future, we will recruit a leader for this division.
Operations Support
The replacement and renewal (R&R) division of Campus Planning, led by Ana Thiemer since 2009, has seen significant growth over the past year. This group expanded to include location information services (LIS), led by Sue Stewart, this past August. The R&R program is evolving into a comprehensive capital investment management program, and we are building enhanced space data and intake processes to improve our information management. As a result, I’m appointing Ana Thiemer as the Director of Operations Support, a newly established area reporting to me. Operations Support will serve all Campus Operations departments and will focus on providing a central location for data and coordinated long-term plans for our campus development, ensuring the most effective use of the university's resources.
Sustainability
The Office of Sustainability, led by Jim Walker, will also move under the Campus Operations umbrella. Sustainability collaborates with all departments in Campus Operations and is instrumental to our outreach efforts with our partners across campus.
Office of the AVP
Kim Giles will be the Senior Administrative Officer in the Office of the Associate Vice President and Angie Nardecchia will manage my calendar as my Executive Assistant. We will add a position soon for a Senior Budget and Finance Officer to support the development of Campus Operations.
I’m including a link to our organizational chart. Our teams work well together, and these changes are aimed at making collaboration even easier.
Finally, I am reminded every day how fortunate I am to work with a team dedicated to the stewardship of an amazing campus. Thank you for your commitment to the success of Campus Operations and the University.
Warmest Regards,
Brent Stringfellow
Associate Vice President for Campus Operations