Implementing Ohio University’s Capital Improvement Plan will require a lot of work from the Facilities department.
OU Facilities is restructuring its staffs following the departure of Mike Gebeke, former executive director of facilities management.
Beginning Feb. 24, Adam Riehl, who most recently served as director of facilities for OU’s Southern campus, will fill the role of interim executive director until OU conducts a national search, said OU Spokeswoman Katie Quaranta.
“I am most grateful for the flexibility on the part of Interim Dean of Southern Campus Dan Evans and Executive Dean for Regional Higher Education William Willan to allow us to take advantage of this opportunity,” said Joseph Lalley, senior associate vice president for information technologies and administrative services in a statement.
Gebeke left his position at OU — where he’s worked since 2009 — to serve as assistant vice president for facilities management at University of Alabama at Birmingham starting Monday.
“There will be a slight void because he was a content expert,” said Ben Stuart, chair of Faculty Senate’s finance and facilities committee and a professor of civil engineering. “He did what he did very well.”
In addition to Gebeke’s departure, Lalley announced changes to the leadership structure of Facilities, including appointing Harry Wyatt as associate vice president for architecture, design and construction.
Of the departments within Facilities, offices such as Facilities Programming and Capital Project Accounting will report to Wyatt, while all other offices — including Sustainability, Transportation and Parking Services, Facilities Work Center and Facilities Management — will report to Lalley.
Wyatt worked as associate vice president for Facilities since 2008.
At the November 2013 Board of Trustees meeting, Facilities proposed to increase the number of project managers from 15 to 26 with two or three temporary staff members in order to take on the construction projects of the Capital Improvement Plan, according to the meeting minutes.
Although Stuart is not concerned about finding someone to fill Gebeke’s place, he said he thinks it’s critical that Facilities hire the number of new project managers that they proposed.
“I do think (the Capital Plan) is why Facilities needs to start filling some of those project manager roles because I do think, yes, the number of projects will require some of those extra boots on the ground,” Stuart said.
@ DanielleRose84
DK123111@ohiou.edu
