Chris Kiwus named associate vice president and chief facilities officer
Christopher Kiwus, commanding officer of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southeast, will join Virginia Tech in June as associate vice president and chief facilities officer.
Kiwus, a captain in the U.S. Navy, has 30 years of experience as a senior leader, manager, and engineer in charge of navy facilities planning, engineering, maintenance, construction contracting, and support service contracts.
As associate vice president and chief facilities officer, Kiwus will provide leadership for more than 400 university employees in Facilities Operations, the University Building Official, University Design and Construction, and Facilities Services Finance. He will oversee the care, maintenance and development of Virginia Tech’s growing campus spanning more than 2,600 acres, with 125 buildings and an airport, and will be responsible for the current $150 million capital project program.
In addition, Kiwus will be responsible for Virginia Tech Electric Services, the operation of a Hokie Stone quarry, a power plant with a 6.2 peak MW turbine generator, and the administrative oversight of the Virginia Tech Climate Action Commitment.
In his current position, Kiwus oversees 1,800 employees at 15 Navy bases across the southeastern U.S. and Cuba. His responsibilities include maintenance of 20,000 facilities and 170,000 acres and managing a $1 billion budget.
“Chris will bring an incredible amount of experience and knowledge to Virginia Tech. His work in the Navy is very similar to the responsibilities here at the university,” said Sherwood Wilson, vice president for administration.
Kiwus earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Union College and a bachelor's degree in economics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He has a master's degree in civil engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, a master’s degree in national security and strategic studies from the Naval War College, and a Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering from Rutgers University. He is a graduate of the Advanced Executive Program, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, and is a registered professional engineer in Florida.
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.
