Two finalists selected for campus visits in search for associate vice president and chief facilities officer
Sherwood Wilson, vice president for administrative services at Virginia Tech, and the search committee chair for the Associate Vice President and Chief Facilities Officer announced that two finalists have been selected for campus visits.
Reporting to the vice president for administrative services, the associate vice president and chief facilities officer will provide leadership for the university’s growing facilities enterprise including the offices for the following functions: facilities operations; university building official, university design and construction; utilities and strategic initiatives; deputy chief facilities officer; facilities services finance; and the university architect.
Overseeing the care, maintenance and development of Virginia Tech’s campus spanning more than 2,600 acres, with 125 buildings and an airport, the associate vice president and chief facilities officer will have responsibility for the $150 million capital project program and approximately 450 staff members.
The associate vice president and chief facilities officer is responsible for all university facilities assets on the main campus and off campus including the development and maintenance; operation; planning; construction and renovation of space serving faculty, staff, students and visitors. The associate vice president and chief facilities officer is also responsible for Virginia Tech Electric Services, the operation of a Hokie Stone quarry, and the administrative oversight of the Virginia Tech Climate Action Commitment.
In addition, this position is responsible for the delegation and administration of the University Building Official capital outlay program, campus master plan and real estate functions. The associate vice president and chief facilities officer is a highly visible role that interacts with top-level administration of the university in strategic planning, long range physical planning and development, and development of the capital outlay program for the future benefit of the university.
As part of the interview and selection process for the position, Wilson invites all members of the campus community to meet the candidates selected for a campus interview. University and community members are invited to attend the candidate open forum presentations on their vision for the campus of the future and/or challenges facing facilities services in the next 10 years.
Steven Maruszewski
Maruszewski is currently the assistant vice president for physical plant at Pennsylvania State University, a position he has held since 2010. Beginning his career at Penn State in 1995, Maruszewski has held the positions of project manager, manager of design services, director of commonwealth services, director of design and construction and deputy associate vice president. His responsibilities also include leading the university’s environmental stewardship strategy, co-chairing the university’s sustainability strategic planning process and leading the efforts associated with defining and managing the campus deferred maintenance and capital renewal needs.
Maruszewski has a Bachelor of Architectural Engineering degree from Penn State and is a LEED-accredited professional engineer in Pennsylvania. This past year he was selected as a centennial Fellow.
- Open Forum: Friday, Oct. 26, from 9 to 9:30 a.m. in the Cascades Room at The Inn at Virginia Tech
Melissa Rockwell-Hopkins
Rockwell-Hopkins served as the associate vice president of facilities at The Ohio State University for more than five years and currently serves as the executive director of facilities management at The University of Houston where she has been since 2009.
Rockwell-Hopkins has significant capital planning, project management, business and organizational management experience, with over 23 years of facilities industry experience, including hospital, consulting and higher education.
She has a bachelor’s degree in law and justice from Central Washington University and certification from The Ohio State University in facilities management and planning. Rockwell-Hopkins says she has a personal interest in community involvement and diversity and has experience in developing collaborative partnerships to support key university initiatives.
- Open Forum: Tuesday, Oct. 30, from 9 to 9:30 a.m. in the Alumni Assembly Hall at The Holtzman Alumni Center/Inn at Virginia Tech
The search committee encourages all participants to submit feedback via the online surveys that will be posted on the Office of the Vice President for Administrative Services website.
Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.
