A New Chapter for Facilities Management

Net Assets Magazine Article Highlights Leadership Perspectives from APPA’s CEO and Vice Chair

In a recent interview with Net Assets Magazine, Lalit Agarwal, APPA’s new CEO, and Robert Aldrich, APPA board vice chair and director of operations at Hackley School, discussed their career paths, the evolving needs of the facilities profession, and APPA’s strategic direction.

Both leaders entered the field from unexpected backgrounds—Agarwal as a mechanical engineer and Aldrich from law enforcement—highlighting the nontraditional, often accidental routes into facilities management. Their shared turning point? APPA’s Supervisor’s Toolkit, a program they credit with transforming their leadership skills and professional confidence.

Now leading APPA into its next chapter, Agarwal emphasizes innovation within tradition: “I’m treating this 110-year-old organization like a startup,” he says. Under his leadership, APPA is expanding efforts to support K-12 schools, community colleges, and early-career professionals, while enhancing resources like the Facilities Performance Indicators (FPI), Body of Knowledge (BoK), and the guidelines trilogy for custodial, maintenance, and grounds management.

Aldrich and Agarwal agree that the field faces critical challenges—succession planning, staff recruitment, and the need for data-driven funding advocacy. Facilities leaders, they argue, must go beyond technical knowledge to develop communication and financial literacy, ensuring their work is recognized as foundational to educational success.

“We want to help facilities professionals speak the language of leadership—quantifying their impact and making the case for investment,” says Agarwal.

Read the full interview in Net Assets Magazine to learn more about how APPA is shaping the future of educational facilities.