Wendy Halsey has been named assistant vice president for facilities operations at Virginia Tech following a national search. She started in this new role on Oct. 10.

Reporting to Chris Kiwus, vice president for campus planning, infrastructure, and facilities, Halsey will lead a team of over 300 personnel responsible for coordinating university efforts to ensure that buildings and grounds constantly express the sense of place and quality that is intrinsic to Virginia Tech, maintain the university’s design and construction standards function, and provide effective vision, leadership, and strategic direction for the delivery of non-capital construction (renovation) services.

“A versatile leader and engineer with nearly three decades of experience in facilities management, public works, strategic planning, and construction management, Wendy brings a record of proven success leading large, high functioning teams,” said Kiwus.

Halsey comes to Blacksburg from Washington, D.C., where she served as deputy superintendent of House Office Buildings for the Architect of the Capitol. There, she was responsible for maintaining historic assets including the Rayburn, Longworth, and Canon House Office Buildings, which contain administrative spaces for all U.S. House Representatives and numerous Congressional Committee Hearing Rooms. In that role, she led a staff of 500 professionals including architects, engineers, program managers and over 300 trades workers in the custodial, electrical, carpentry, sheet metal, and air condition shops.

A retired captain of the U.S. Navy, Halsey served 27 years as a strategic leader, advocate, and engineer responsible for facilities planning, public works, infrastructure, and construction, among a host of other core operational functions. She held numerous critical roles during her naval career including assignments in the Office of the Secretary of the Navy in Washington D.C.; director of logistics and command engineer for Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany; executive officer for Naval Facilities Engineering Command in Washington, D.C.; and many more.

In 2011, she assumed the role of commanding officer of Camp David, the United States' president’s country residence. While leading all facilities and operating aspects of the Presidential Retreat during a two-year stint of the administration of President Barack Obama, she planned and motivated the team that carried out the 38th G-8 Summit, coordinating logistics for 14 Heads of State over a three-day period. She coordinated closely with a multitude of stakeholders including White House staff, the Secret Service, U.S. State Department, state and local law enforcement agencies, surrounding hospital response teams, protocol specialists, and media consultants.

Halsey earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Stanford University. She earned a master’s in urban planning from the University of Florida, a master's in business administration from National University, and a master’s in national resource strategy from the Eisenhower School, National Defense University. She is a registered professional engineer in the state of North Carolina and is a certified energy manager.

Wendy Halsey walking alongside President Barack Obama at Camp David.
Wendy Halsey escorts President Barack Obama from Marine One upon his arrival at Camp David. In 2011, Halsey assumed the role of the commanding officer at the Presidential Retreat.


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