Office for Sustainability staff, from left, Outreach and Engagement Coordinators Shannon Sahs and Katie Steele, Sustainable Labs Manager Christine Alencar and Green Labs Specialist Fiona Hogan, display two awards UVA received during the March 28 Governor's Environmental Excellence Awards. The UVA Sustainability Outreach & Engagement team won a Silver Medal for their waste minimization efforts while the Sustainable Labs program won a Bronze Medal for their work reducing the environmental impact of lab spaces. The 2023 Governor's Environmental Excellence Awards are presented by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

Bill Blodgett, project manager in Capital Construction & Renovations, retired February 26 after almost 35 years of service. Bill first joined UVA in September 1988 and was licensed as an architect and a member of both the American Institute of Architects and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. He worked on numerous projects within the Academic Division, including renovations of Campbell Hall and Bice House and crucial infrastructure improvements to multiple buildings.

Bev Smart, budget manager of major and minor capital projects in Finance, retired March 1 after 23 years of service. For 13 years, Bev was the primary contact for major and minor capital Oracle project set-up and management. In 2016, this role transitioned from central UVA Finance to Facilities Management. Bev also managed all reporting requirements for state-funded capital projects, from project initiation to project close-out for three state agencies and participated in the creation and training of the Project Initiation Form (PIF) for capital project planning. She also served as Finance Strategic Transformation project team member supporting the capital projects workstream in Workday, providing invaluable feedback to ensure capital projects converted correctly from Oracle.

Tim Proffitt, historic mason in Construction & Renovation Services, retired March 17 after almost 12 years of service. Tim completed projects primarily within the Academical Village, including major renovations within the Chapel, the Rotunda and the Pavilions, as well as projects to improve and maintain the serpentine walls, the Tuscan columns on the Lawn and the many brick walkways all over Grounds.

Debbie Thacker, senior budget analyst for Energy & Utilities in Finance, retired March 26 after 43 years of service. For 26 years, Debbie was FM's primary financial analyst for utility budgets and commodity cost recovery. In 2000, she participated in the Oracle implementation and at the time stated she wouldn't be around if UVA transitioned to another system. Fast forward to 2022, and Debbie assisted with the transition to Workday. In both implementations, she provided invaluable feedback on utility billing at UVA. Debbie also assisted with transitions of FM's billing processes from manual to Maximo (old work order management system) and to AiM (current work order management system) as well as transitioning overhead (non-billable) transactions out of AiM to Oracle. Instead of filing cabinets, Debbie had a “pile” system. She could always accurately pull a document from anywhere in any pile to answer any question at a moment's notice. Check out photos from Debbie's retirement gathering.

Gary Bickers, senior plumber in Utilities, retired March 31 after 30 years of service. Gary first joined the University in 1983 working his way up to a supervisor in UVA Athletics. During that time, Gary developed relationships with some of the players and even took them hunting and fishing on his days off. In 1997, Gary left UVA to work in the Charlottesville school system for 10 years before joining the Facilities Management team in 2007 as a plumber/steamfitter with Utilities. Since then, Gary has been an asset to the University, serving as a crucial supporter of the Environmental Resources team with inspections and maintenance of stormwater management facilities and responding to illicit discharges. When Gary would respond to a spill or another sort of emergency, he would remain calm and steadfast until there was a resolution, giving each task his best effort. He did not shy away from doing the unpleasant jobs and always had a smile on his face. Gary has always taken his personal safety and health seriously and served as a mentor to many other staff members, assisting numerous individuals to stop smoking and pursue other health goals. Gary even provided some of these individuals company during their lunch breaks to get in a good walk or some type of exercise. One of Gary's retirement gifts included a 3D-printed model of the vacuum truck, FM's largest vehicle that Gary could often be seen driving around Grounds. Check out photos from Gary's retirement gathering.

Earl “Bud” Hindes, a retiree of Facilities Management, died on March 13. Earl served as utility systems master maintenance technician with the Utilities team and retired with 26 years of service in 2018.