Laura Duckworth serves as the Director of Occupational Programs for University of Virginia Facilities Management. She first joined UVA FM in 2014 as the Director of Occupational Health and Safety. In 2017, FM Occupational Programs was created and added to her responsibilities. Occupational Programs now includes FM-OHS; Occupational Training; Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; and the UVA FM Apprenticeship Program.

Laura is a workforce development strategist and organizational effectiveness leader specializing in program startups and revitalization utilizing business tactics, resource alignment, and collaboration. A thought leader in the statewide apprenticeship and workforce development spaces, she is passionate about building regenerative workforce pipelines to support business continuity and growth and to provide opportunities to local jobseekers.

Laura has over 20 years of experience building, refurbishing, and managing programs that support successful business operations with a strong background in health and safety. Under Laura's leadership, Facilities Management has shown an increase in employee involvement in the development of workplace safety initiatives, an increase in employee investment in the FM Apprenticeship Program, the development of an Inclusive Excellence Plan, and greater offerings for the professional development of FM employees.

Prior to UVA, Laura held positions at George Mason University, GlaxoSmithKline, and the North Carolina Department of Labor, OSH Division, including a commissioner-appointed position as interim Executive Director of the Ergonomics Center of North Carolina.

Laura holds a bachelor's degree in economics from George Mason University and a master's degree from Old Dominion University. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in education (Ed.D.) from University of Dayton.

Julie Thomas joined Facilities Management in 2018 as the Occupational Training Manager. Occupational Training facilitates career enrichment for employees through training, education, and leadership opportunities, as well as collaborating with resources from across grounds to bring unique learning opportunities to FM employees. Julie is enthusiastic about working with these groups to enhance her colleagues' personal and professional wellbeing.

Shelomith Gonzalez joined the UVA Facilities Management team as Occupational Health and Safety Manager in 2021. Shelomith has 18 years of experience in safety and risk management in the construction and facilities management trades and is an expert in the design and development of safety policy, procedure, and implementation. Shelomith's philosophy and approach to safety is to empower workers to prioritize their lives and wellbeing, educate them in how to do so, and maintain the systems and processes that employees function within operating safely.

Shelomith is a Charlottesville, Virginia native. Her career in safety and health began while working for a family owned and operated mechanical contracting firm. The personal connection she felt to the skilled tradespeople she had grown up around became the driving force behind her passion for safety. Many years later this concern for worker's lives continues to be the core value that informs her approach.

Shelomith's dedication to civic involvement, community and education informs all aspects of her life. She feels a deep pride in the resilience and strength of her community and a commitment to worker safety and wellbeing in the Commonwealth. She served as vice chair of the AGC of Virginia Safety Task Force in 2020 and in 2021 accepted the role of chair. She also served on the Red Cross, Central Virginia Chapter/Virginia Region Board, is a graduate of Leadership Charlottesville Class of 2019, completed the Leadership Essentials program with UVA in 2023, has served as a Virginia BEST Program Mentor and presented at the annual VOSH conference, VAPPA 2023 conference, and UVA Safety Summit.

Danny Davis joined the UVA Facilities Management Apprenticeship Program as program manager in June 2023. In addition to nearly two decades of experience working in and managing the skilled trades, Danny has a passion for teamwork and helping others gain success in life for both their own and their communities' benefit.

Danny's professional experience includes administering technical education to audiences from diverse backgrounds. Most recently, he served as the Registered Apprenticeship Education Coordinator for the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry, where he worked closely with state leadership on standardizing procedures related technical instruction (RTI) for Virginia's Registered Apprenticeship Programs.

Additionally, Danny holds a Commonwealth of Virginia Technical Professional License, is a certified OSHA #500-Standards for Construction trainer, a certified NCCER Master Trainer, and a certified NCCER Craft Instructor in three skilled trades areas. He uses his trades knowledge and experience to create an accessible, hands-on training program to produce a regenerative pipeline of skilled trades workers at UVA FM.

Linda Resco is the Occupational Programs Administrative Manager. She joined the team in 2015 after relocating to Charlottesville from Raleigh, North Carolina. Originally from New Jersey, she comes to us with a background in commercial interior design, facilities management, project and office administration, and event coordination. Linda most recently served at the non-profit, Foundation of Hope for Research and Treatment of Mental Illness in Raleigh, NC, where she assisted in office administration, event coordination and research grants. During her career, Linda had the opportunity to gain experience in facilities management working for the Guardian Life Insurance Company of America in New York City as a Facilities Coordinator. In addition to this, Linda was an interior designer and project coordinator at commercial interior design firms in Upper Montclair and Mountainside, New Jersey where she designed commercial space and consulted on projects for clients such as Merck & Co, CIGNA Healthcare and AstraZeneca. Linda holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interior Design.

Liz Burnett joined UVA Facilities Management in September 2016 as administrative support for the Occupational Health and Safety department. Since then, she has broadened her scope to include communications for the Occupational Programs teams.

Liz is a Virginia native and lifelong Wahoo, with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia. Named as Time's Person of the Year in 2006, Liz has a passion for problem solving and community service. She spends her free time volunteering with local causes, particularly fundraising for cancer research. Professionally, she also has experience in the healthcare, nonprofit, and retail industries.

Charlotte Endres is the Occupational Programs Coordinator. She joined the Facilities Management team after returning to her hometown of Charlottesville in 2021. Charlotte grew up in and around central Virginia and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Latin American Studies from the University of Virginia. She spent nine years living in Sacramento, California, where she studied teaching English as a Second Language and worked in the hospitality industry, event planning, and government administration. She is especially interested in LGBTQ equality and disability rights advocacy, and is passionate about her love of friends and family, travel, cooking, music, and art.

Keith Woodson inspects mechanical rooms for the Medical Center as well as Central Grounds Zone for any safety-related issues. Keith also inspects first aid kits to make sure they are properly stocked and up-to-date. This ensures our employees have access to first aid supplies and helps keep attention on the proper way and locations to store items. Prior to joining the safety team, Keith spent two years as a Quality Assurance Inspector, talking to customers about overall satisfaction of work performed by Facilities Management. Before that, Keith was a drywall/plasterer for the renovation shop for 30 years and worked on nearly every building at the University during his time on Grounds. In Keith's spare time, he enjoys photography, spending time with his two grandchildren, and volunteering with coaching their sports.