Staff news August 2025

The Energy & Utilities team recently announced some organizational changes due to infrastructure updates that have blurred the operational lines between heating and cooling. In July, Justin Callihan's title was updated to associate director of plant operations to reflect new responsibilities. Callihan has assumed full operational responsibility for the North Grounds, Ivy Mountain, and Fontaine Plants in addition to his current responsibility for all chiller plant operations and maintenance. The heat plant maintenance team will continue to support the combustion assets in these plants, as necessary. This change will also allow the heat plant team, under the guidance of Associate Director of Heat Plant Operations and Maintenance Pete Kowalzik, to focus on the $38 million Main Heat Plant Fuel Conversion project, which will have a significant impact on the Main Heat Plant for the next several years. The project will replace the coal heat input with natural gas and optimize the existing plant assets for the new fuel mix (gas and oil) and reduce scope 1 carbon emissions by approximately 16,900 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. Paul Stevens has been promoted to associate director of engineering and energy to recognize the expanding internal engineering and energy analysis capabilities of his team.

Don Sundgren, Henry Garrison, Shawn Richards, Jimmy Belew, Wayne Mays, Matthew Proffitt, Amy Eichenberger, Travis Mawyer, Robbie Kuykendall and Hunter Bolen: Thank you for exemplifying leadership and partnership in our commitment to community engagement and our recognition of the importance and ongoing need for the trades and trades professionals in our industry. We were able to partner twice this summer with Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia to invite 70 youth to Facilities Management to learn from our esteemed professionals in the career areas of electrician, mason, landscape and project management. We would like to extend a special thank you to the amazing team members who used their valuable time to help make these two days happen: Henry Garrison, Shawn Richards, Jimmy Belew, Wayne Mays, Matthew Proffitt, Amy Eichenberger, Travis Mawyer, Robbie Kuykendall and Hunter Bolen. Thank you to their teams and leaders for understanding and supporting the importance of this connection and partnership and again, to leadership at FM for continuing to be an example in engagement and community-focused partnership at UVA. We look forward to continued endeavors! — Emily Douglas, Engagement Programs Manager, Facilities Management

Alton “Ron” Crawford, plumber in Central Grounds Zone Maintenance, retired July 25 after 32 years of service. Crawford first joined the University as a plumbing apprentice in 1993, graduating from the program in 1997. He served on the Utilities team and then later on the Housing Maintenance Zone team before transferring over to the Central Grounds Maintenance Zone, where he served for the past 12 years. Some of Crawford's favorite memories of his time at FM include the annual steam tunnel shutdowns and supporting Final Exercises and Reunions weekends. In his retirement he plans to spend his time in the wilderness, hunting and fishing. Check out photos from Ron Crawford's retirement gathering.

Matt Martin, senior HVAC mechanic for Housing Maintenance, died July 27. Martin joined the University as a trades utility senior worker in June 2021 and was promoted to senior HVAC mechanic in September 2023. “Matt's presence went far beyond his role — he left a mark on everyone he worked with,” Housing Facilities Zone Manager Terry Maynard wrote in a message to staff. “He brought a friendly, reliable presence to every day and had a way of making the work feel lighter just by being himself. His quiet humor, dedication, and willingness to step up for the team are things we'll all remember. He was always stable within the storm — the world could be falling apart around him, buildings flooded, or in the case of the Brown College several years ago, an entire complex could be backed up, and he would just take a breath, steady himself, and move forward. Matt set the bar for what leadership in the trades can look like.”

Dennis Acree, a retiree of FM, died on July 6. Acree was a trades utility senior in Health System Physical Plant and retired in 2021 with more than 27 years of service.