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Translate My first year as the Membership Chair for Rocky Mountain APPA (RMA) has been very interesting. Learning about the Membership and Community Engagement activities and navigating the current pandemic have been challenging. This is my first article for the Membership Matters column, and I consulted with previous RMA Membership Chairs on various topics. What follows […]
APPA State Chapters: Current Challenges, Forthcoming Opportunities
My service as the Vice President of State Chapter Affairs on the Southeastern Region (SRAPPA) Board began in October 2019 at the regional conference in Covington, Kentucky. I am appreciative of the trust that the SRAPPA membership has placed in me and the support I receive from my institution (Wake Forest University), my direct supervisor, […]
APPA’s Selling Point: Professional Development
Sustaining and engaging membership at the chapter, regional, and national/international levels during the 2022–2023 year has been both challenging and refreshing. Despite limitations related to retirements, budget reductions, and professional development (PD) travel, the APPA Member and Community Engagement Committee managed to maintain good spirits and, through collective efforts, positively affected the professional APPA and […]
Engagement: The Benefits of Community and Membership
Author and civil rights leader Howard Thurman once said, “Community cannot for long feed on itself; it can only flourish with the coming of others from beyond, their unknown and undiscovered brothers.” A community must be intentional about being inclusive. While a community may be founded on certain beliefs and values, it must also be […]
How the FPI Can Change Your Organization (and Your Career)
As this is my first opportunity to write for Facilities Manager magazine, I thought about the aspects of APPA membership that matter to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) and to my career personally. Then I thought about matters that affect our members and decided to write an article that is about a little bit of […]
How the Right Connection Can Change Your Career
I became involved in the APPA organization around 2010, when my supervisor approved me to attend my first Georgia Chapter of APPA (GAPPA) conference. Held on Jekyll Island every Memorial Day weekend, GAPPA is a goal for every facility manager in the state of Georgia. I have attended every APPA conference, at every level, that […]
Is it a Noun, or is it a Verb?
I have written several Membership Matters columns for Facilities Manager over the years. But for some unknown reason, when preparing for this article, a question came to my mind that was something like a revelation. As I looked at the title of this column, “Membership Matters,” I found myself asking, “Is the word ‘matters’ a […]
Looking Back—and Forging Ahead
Just about a year ago I shared my thoughts with the readership regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. I discussed the satisfaction of meeting the pandemic head on, the disruption it caused our staffs, student, and faculty, and the uncertainty it created about enrollment, and I ended by sharing a glimmer of hope that the fall ’21 […]
One Business Partner’s Experience at APPA
Only one month before attending my first APPA Annual Conference in 2018, I accepted a position with a computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) software provider called TMA Systems. After my first APPA experience, I felt reassured that TMA was a good fit for me and that APPA would prove to be critical to TMA’s success […]
Quiet Quitting and Why Leadership Should Pay Attention
“People leave managers, not companies.”—Marcus Buckingham We have probably all heard this quote, and it may certainly resonate with us. Or we may know someone who has left a job for this reason. But a phenomenon gaining attention these days—one that is very detrimental to our organizations—is an age-old behavior given the formal name of […]
Resiliency in Facilities: Balancing Your Mind, Body, and Spirit
As facilities managers, we have a tremendous influence on the health and wellness of employees and students, as we are responsible for providing them a safe, secure, and functional environment. We notoriously talk about taking a holistic approach to assessing our buildings for overall functionality and performance impact. Heating, cooling, ventilation, cleanliness, and lighting are […]
The Five “Es” of Equity
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEI) are more than just buzzwords ripped from the news headlines. They speak to core values that must unite and bring a renewed focus on our similarities rather than differences. APPA, and by extension SRAPPA, understand the importance of these concepts and have made a concentrated effort to educate members […]
The Five Ts of Building and Maintaining Productive Remote Relationships
Being far from the embrace of your spouse and children is a great hardship. Yet this is a familiar feeling for those of us who travel for work. You must cover your work responsibilities while longing to be home with your family. You quickly dream up a myriad of ways to reduce your time on […]
The Power of Three
There are three reasons why your membership in professional organizations like APPA is so important: 1. Who else will understand what you are going through as a professional and leader within your institution? There is so much to gain from like-minded individuals who speak the same language and live the same challenges as you do […]
The Safe Return to Campus and APPA Resources
Returning to campus was a top priority for many in 2021. Several schools intended to return in-person classes in 2021 but were faced with resistance from staff, students, parents, and the community under a variety of circumstances. With the play-by-play of worldwide and local COVID-19 reports, it is no surprise that there was an increase […]
Unlocking the Power of Membership: The Value of Joining APPA
A few years ago, facilities management was moved into my portfolio. Sure, I had interacted with facilities management for 25+ years in various jobs across higher education, but I never had the opportunity to oversee this critical function. I first asked internal and external colleagues about the best way to get up to speed around […]
We Are Here … We Are Here … And Grateful You Are Too!
For those of us with kiddos, grandkids, or who are just fond of Dr. Seuss, the phrase “we are here … we are here” might conjure up images of the story Horton Hears a Who. In this story, our hero Horton deals with several challenges, and is labeled an outcast by residents of the Jungle […]
What Do I Have to Offer a Group like APPA?
Have you ever found yourself wondering why APPA wants you, and not the generic “you” as in an organization, but you in particular? I have. I have often wondered, “What do I have to offer this group? Why do they want me on that team? Do I really have anything to teach the people who […]
Why Invent the Wheel When You Can Learn from the Person Who Did?
As the APPA Community College Engagement Chair, I get to spend an hour each month leading a discussion with my fellow community college facilities professionals. It’s a very entertaining and enlightening experience for me and I hope for the others as well. I get a lot of great ideas and advice from these monthly Zoom […]
Your APPA Membership: Serving to Amplify the Voices of Those We Serve
At the University of Alaska Anchorage, we recently completed our campus facilities master plan. We embarked on this journey while our daily lives were being disrupted by the concerns that each of us was also addressing: a pandemic, reduced budget, and increased deferred maintenance. This led me to reflect on the important role facilities leaders […]
