An update from Assistant Vice President for Facilities, Michael Avanti Lopez:
Facilities senior staff recently came together to discuss vision and strategic goals for Facilities over the next 3-5 years. You’ll be hearing more about this in the coming weeks and months but the main takeaway? Teamwork across different Facilities departments — a One Facilities approach — is essential to better accomplishing our mission.
Why is this approach so important?
Broad Perspectives Lead to Better Solutions
When people from different areas of Facilities work together on a problem, like improving accessibility on campus, they bring varied insights. This means the solution will be well-rounded, addressing the issue from multiple angles.
Faster Decision Making
When done right, collaboration can speed things up. Instead of a request bouncing between departments and causing delays, a well-scoped team with members from all relevant areas can make decisions more swiftly.
Inclusively Developing Our People
Methodically evaluating what each part of our diverse workforce needs – both from professional development and inclusive culture perspectives – can help us learn from each other and provide a more nuanced and effective way to develop our people and culture.
The Vision
The vision for the next 3-5 years also emphasizes the need to work closely with partners outside of Facilities. In particular, the senior staff recognized that it is crucial for University leadership and Facilities to align on evolving strategic objectives for the Capital Plan. This ensures that everyone's expectations match the University's priorities, and that the Capital Plan is pursued in a balanced and responsible manner.
We don’t need to reach across departmental lines all the time — much of our day-to-day work requires focus within our departments. But for some of the key strategic objectives we will be pursuing — alignment with University leadership on the Capital Plan, better use of technology, and continuous improvement — a One Facilities approach is crucial to moving us forward.
As of September 11, Abby Reynolds will be joining Facilities as the Assistant Vice President for Strategy Management. Avanti Lopez will remain on through September 30 to provide overlap and orientation before transitioning to an advisory role through the transition of his current initiatives. Reynolds' experience and leadership will lead the One Facilities strategy established by the senior leadership team.