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Staff News November/December 2022

December 16, 2022

New Hires

• Jordan Campbell, project coordinator, Capital Construction & Renovations
• Samuel Campbell, assistant web developer student worker, Technology & Innovation
• Brenda Chicas Torres, custodial services worker, E&G Custodial Services — Central Zone
• Samuel Earheart, senior welder, Utilities
• Sivya Kambale, custodial services worker, E&G Custodial Services — Central Zone
• Phillip Lamm, HVAC mechanic, North Grounds Zone Maintenance
• Aurea Nazareno, custodial services worker, E&G Custodial Services — Central Zone
• Afia Paracha, communications assistant student worker, Technology & Innovation
• Jeremy Shiflett, plumber/steamfitter assistant, Utilities
• Leo Spradlin, senior trades utility worker, Central Grounds Zone Maintenance
• Zachary Sprouse, plumber/steamfitter assistant, Utilities
• Fariha Tasneem, assistant web developer student worker, Technology & Innovation
• Nala Williams, assistant multimedia designer student worker, Technology & Innovation
• Basharat Zahedi, facilities services representative, Programs & Informatics

Transfers & Promotions

• Alexander Harlow, fire systems service supervisor, Fire Protection
• Stephen Ingram, renovations project coordinator, Health System Physical Plant
• Spiro Jokic, zone maintenance electrical supervisor, Health System Physical Plant Zone 2
• Jeanne Kalenga, custodial services worker, E&G Custodial Services — Central Zone
• John Marshall, supervisory team leader, Capital Construction & Renovations
• Jimmy Sayre, fire and safety equipment inspector, Fire Protection
• Randy Spencer, acting Central Grounds Zone Manager, Central Grounds Zone Maintenance
• Ryan Taylor, assistant director for academic zone maintenance, Operations

Educational & Professional Accomplishments

• Christine Alencar, sustainable labs manager, received the Emerging Leaders Award from the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL) for her work to establish and improve the Sustainable Labs program.
• Jamie Watkins, occupational safety technician, achieved his Construction Health and Safety Technician (CHST) certification, which is awarded by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals to individuals who have at least three years of safety experience, demonstrate competency, pass the CHST exam and work in health and safety activities devoted to the prevention of construction illnesses and injuries.
• Michael Duffy, transportation operations & fleet manager, was a finalist for the 2022 Fleet Safety Award presented by Automotive Fleet magazine and sponsored by the American Automotive Leasing Association (AALA).

Best Wishes to FM Retirees

Noted with Regret

• Tony Marusak, a retiree of Facilities Management, died on Nov. 4. Tony was hired straight out of the Navy in 1980 as an HVAC mechanic, qualifying to enter the first class of the UVA Apprenticeship Program in 1982. He graduated as a refrigeration mechanic in just two years, becoming the first ever graduate of the program. In 2015, Tony retired from his position as HVAC supervisor senior on the Central Grounds Zone Maintenance team.
• Michael Daddezio, a retiree of Facilities Management, died Nov. 2. Mike, who joined the University in July 1985, served as a master plumber/steamfitter on the McCormick Zone Maintenance team and retired in March 2018.
• Curtis Gilmore, Sr., a retiree of Facilities Management, died Oct. 27. He worked on the Building Services team for many years and retired in 2000.
• Lee Garrett "Nick" Gurley, a retiree of Facilities Management, died on Nov. 21. He worked for the department from the 1990s until 2007.

Compliments from Customers

Facilities Management team: Coming from countless different places and backgrounds, students arrive at the University carrying with them their hopes for the next four years and their visions of the home they seek to build on Grounds. As they watch the buildings and paths lose their veneer of newness and transform into places laden with memories, they often do not recognize the immense work and compassionate stewardship that go into the creation of the landscape they come to know as home. Today, The Seven Society wishes to recognize your ceaseless and oft unrecognized efforts in shaping and maintaining the pristine and familiar environment of the University for countless students. Our community would not function without your work and your commitment to ensuring the smooth functioning of everyday operations. Every element of Grounds is a testament and embodiment of the care with which you treat this space.

It is often challenging to carve out community amidst the multifariousness of the University, but it is exceedingly clear that the Facilities Management team is a group of extraordinarily talented individuals uplifted and celebrated by each other. In addition to your dedication to our broader community, we thus thank you for your deep investments in one another. This imperative to create a communal support system is even more significant given the challenges posed by the difficult day to day tasks tackled by your members, projects which many of those who benefit from them could not entirely fathom.

In addition to all the ways that your work impacts the entire University community, The Seven Society would like to personally thank you for the innumerable moments in which you have offered our organization critical help over the years. Given that we have had the opportunity to intimately witness the prowess with which you approach your work, we wish today to celebrate your individual strengths, and the power of your collective endeavor. It is our continued honor to partner with your team, and it is our great privilege to get to celebrate you tonight. — The Seven Society