Employee profile: Lester Jackson
Elevator assistant mechanic, singer, clothing designer
UVA Facilities Management Elevator Assistant Mechanic Lester Jackson gives some insight into his career at UVA, and his life outside of work.
Preventing elevator entrapments
Lester Jackson performs preventative maintenance to ensure that the University's 300-plus elevators are operating in top condition. Every month, every single elevator goes through a preventative maintenance check, which requires that they are out of service for a limited time. “We recognize when we are working on something, we know we're making it a little more difficult for people to get where they're trying to go,” he explained. Because fully operational elevators are necessary in all buildings (and especially important within UVA Health buildings where patients may need to be rushed to a different floor), elevator work can be stressful and maintaining the preventative maintenance schedule is a top priority. “We are trying to put out those fires before they become something greater,” he said.
First day at UVA
Lester started at the University of Virginia eight years ago as an electrician. “On my first day at UVA, I came in with my tool bag, and my supervisor said, ‘What is that?’ and I was told to put it back in my car because UVA would provide me all of my tools and a uniform. It's a different feeling when you come into a place that takes care of you versus you just being the means of taking care of something else. I can definitely say that UVA takes care of its employees.”
Favorite part of the job
Lester likes that his position is service-oriented and puts him in contact with lots of people. “We try to keep people happy and I love people,” he says.
Life outside of work
Lester's foremost passion is music — he currently performs as a soul singer/songwriter under the stage name Nathaniel Star. He has released numerous albums although he did take a break from performing in the past to start a family. His most recent album, EL'Negro, was released Feb. 1 for free in honor of Black History Month on his website. “Music is the constant voice in the back of my head saying, ‘Don't forget me,’ and I won't,” he explains. Lester also launched a clothing line called Bamboo Apparel, which features socially-conscious imagery and messages, and is active with a community group that invests in local businesses.
Jane Centofante
Communications senior generalist
UVA Facilities Management
(434) 982-5846
janecentofante@virginia.edu