From the Air Force to Higher Ed

Dave Maharrey’s Lifelong Commitment to Facilities Greatness

At APPA’s spring conference in April, members from across North America gathered under the theme “Campuses of the Future.” The organization recognized members for outstanding work in multiple areas. Dave Maharrey received the Meritorious Service Award, an award given to a member who has made significant, life-long contributions to the profession of educational facilities management.   

Dave Maharrey’s facilities journey began with a distinguished career in the U.S. Air Force, where he served as a senior facilities officer in locations around the globe. His military experience managing complex infrastructures laid the foundation for a seamless transition into educational facilities management.

“An Air Force base is no different than a university campus—except that it has a runway, and nearly all universities do not,” Dave joked.

After retiring from the military in 2012, Dave joined Louisiana State University (LSU) as his first civilian facilities post. His six years at LSU were followed by four years at Mississippi State University, and now with AECOM, a global architecture, engineering, and construction firm. In Dave’s current work, he is the onsite project engineer for the design for the construction of the infrastructure and facility projects for the U.S. Navy’s next-generation submarine program, helping ensure design integrity and on-site execution.

Throughout his time in higher education and now in private industry, Dave has remained deeply connected to the APPA community, helping others grow in their roles and pushing the profession forward.

A Leader in Every Room

Dave’s commitment to APPA began on his very first day at LSU, when his boss immediately flew him to APPA’s 2012 conference in Denver. That whirlwind introduction would turn into more than a decade of deep involvement. Within just a few years, Dave was not only attending regional meetings, but he was also helping lead them.

His trajectory within APPA’s regional structure was quick and impactful. He served in key leadership roles within the Southeastern Region of APPA (SRAPPA), including President, and was later invited to join APPA’s international board. A natural leader, Dave has long been known for taking initiative—especially when it comes to empowering professionals at the state and regional levels.

One of his proudest accomplishments was co-organizing APPA’s first-ever “Tri-APPA” event in 2016 in Nashville, an initiative designed to help new members and schools experience the value of APPA firsthand. “We (APPA President Pete Strazsda, TNAPPA President Dave Irwin, and myself) made it happen in less than a year,” he recalls. “The APPA staff did a great job, and we were determined to make it successful for all our members.”

Dave was also a founding force behind Mississippi’s state APPA chapter, helping launch the group in 2019. Though the chapter’s first conference was nearly derailed by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the momentum never stopped. He continued to mentor emerging leaders and advocate for training opportunities tailored to K–12 schools, community colleges, and rural institutions, helping to bring them into the APPA fold.

Investing in People

Training has been one of Dave’s deepest passions. He has long emphasized the importance of investing in supervisors and frontline staff, particularly those who might not otherwise have access to professional development.

“Some school districts can’t afford to send teams to national conferences,” he explained. “But everyone deserves access to knowledge and tools that make their jobs better.”

Through SRAPPA and his work with Mississippi APPA (MSAPPA), Dave helped scale the use of APPA’s Supervisor’s Toolkit, a highly regarded training program. Under his leadership, the Southeastern region became a national leader in Toolkit adoption. “We do more Toolkits than probably anyone else,” he says proudly, referencing events hosted across Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and Mississippi. His work championing toolkit adoption serves as an example for all APPA members.

Building Networks That Endure

Mentorship is another hallmark of Dave’s leadership. Over the years, he’s helped launch the careers of dozens of professionals. His support has ranged from sharing his wealth of institutional wisdom and network of connections to simply listening and offering encouragement.

He’s also a founding member of an informal support system known as the Brother Dave Network, a collective of former Air Force facilities professionals now working across education, K–12, and government. What started as a small group of friends—many of whom were coincidentally named Dave, inspiring the name—has evolved into a powerful peer resource that spans the country. Members regularly trade tips, troubleshoot challenges, and support each other in real time.

“Mentorship goes both ways,” Dave says. “I learn just as much from the younger folks as they learn from me.”

Whether through APPA, his own networks, or his current role at AECOM, Dave has remained a connector, someone who makes time for people, remembers their names, and checks in long after the conference ends.

Grounded in Gratitude

As much as Dave has given to his profession, he’s also deeply reflective about the people around him, especially the facilities staff who often go unrecognized.

“We don’t teach enough about how powerful gratitude is,” he said. “Just saying thank you goes a long way.”

He speaks highly of the maintenance teams, custodians, and supervisors he worked alongside for decades. Those team members who came in during storms, stayed late to fix broken pipes, and made campuses safe and functional every day. He believes their dedication should be honored and celebrated as core to any institution’s success.

Looking Ahead

Though Dave has technically “retired”—twice—he’s still working. He plans to continue in his role at AECOM for the time being but knows that retirement number three is on the way. When that happens, he’ll shift more of his attention to family and home life, prioritizing time with his wife, five children, thirteen grandchildren, and (as of this writing) three great-grandchildren and one more on the way.

Still, he expects to remain a part of the APPA community in some form.

“If I wasn’t enjoying it, I wouldn’t be doing it.”