That's a Wrap on APPAU St. Louis

Four days of connection, collaboration and learning brought hundreds of facilities professionals from across North America to the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark for APPAU, Sept. 14 to 17. Attendees worked through the Institute for Facilities Management curriculums, all four levels of the Leadership Academy, CEFP Exam Prep, and Targeted Titles and Topics (T3).

APPAU is not a conference you sit through. It is a week of coursework taught by people who run campuses themselves, with tables full of colleagues working on the same problems you are.

The week in St. Louis

Arrival. Attendees arrived on the afternoon of Sept. 14, and the opening reception brought all four programs together for the first time. A few innings at Busch Stadium made for a fitting St. Louis welcome.

Day one. Members got down to business the next morning, with ten programs running side by side. What we love most about APPAU is the room next door. The courses are the backbone, and the conversations between sessions do the rest. Members come from very different campuses, run into the same problems, and are happy to share what worked and what they would do differently. That is why so many come back year after year.

Day two. Every classroom was in session for a full day of instruction. With a day to get their bearings, attendees brought specific questions from their own campuses into the room. Day two also wrapped up Targeted Titles and Topics.

Day three. On the last full day of class, cohorts finished their final sessions, and that evening we celebrated the Institute and Leadership Academy graduates who completed their programs this week.

A career is a 1,000 piece puzzle

Matthew Rom, Associate Vice President for Facilities Management at the University of Oklahoma, opened day two by sharing his APPA story. Matthew serves on the APPA Board of Directors, chairs the Professional Development Advisory Committee, and is beginning his last year as CAPPA Regional Director.

He compared a professional life to a 1,000 piece puzzle. Early in a career, you can only see a handful of pieces. Over time, each project, mentor, colleague and setback adds another piece, until a picture emerges that is uniquely your own.

What inspires him most about APPA, he said, is being surrounded by people who willingly share their pieces. A seasoned leader's insight or an emerging professional's fresh idea can be the missing piece in someone else's picture. His takeaway for the room: none of us complete our puzzle alone.

Built one piece at a time

First time APPAU attendees often say the same thing when they get home: they came for the curriculum and left with more than they expected.

The Institute for Facilities Management runs four core curriculums: General Administration, Operations and Maintenance, Planning, Design and Construction, and Energy and Utilities. Many members start with General Administration, which covers strategic planning, data driven decision making, financial operations and organizational structure. Instructors have held the roles they teach, so the material connects.

The Leadership Academy works the same way, with four progressive levels that each build on the last. Members complete both programs across multiple APPAU sessions, fitting them in around their campus responsibilities. You do not have to clear a year of your calendar to earn this. You start with one course and come back.

Congratulations, graduates

Thirty eight facilities professionals graduated from the Leadership Academy or the Institute for Facilities Management at APPAU St. Louis. Most of them started years ago and came back one core or one level at a time while running a campus full time. That is worth applauding, and it was an honor to celebrate you.

Leadership Academy graduates: Newman Forrester, Michael McClelland, Tim Mininger, Almasi Sabir, Jerry Schrack, Mark Seal

Institute for Facilities Management graduates: Terry Bagwell, Carissa Bloom, Branin Boyack, Michelle Brown, Andy Croteau, Aaron Diaz, L.L. Everett, Chris Faught, Larry Floyd, Christine Grebenc, Maria Guillem-Pendas, Tony Huff, Nathanial Kosharek, Dave Lantz, Darren Lenois, Austin Marshall, Sam Merrick, Harry Meyer, Lazell Ofield, Mark Overturf, Brian Powell, Cole Pruitt, Gentry Reesor, Abel Rodriguez, Paul Rodriguez, Randy Spencer, Charles Stephens, Tiffany Tant, Edwin Trujillo, Skip Vaughn, Erin Westberry, Todd Woods

A sincere thank you to our faculty for their dedication to these programs, and to our staff and every attendee who spent the week with us. APPAU would not be possible without you.

Photo gallery

[Gallery placeholder: add photos from the St. Louis album here, including the Welcome to APPAU registration desk, the day two opening session, hands on class activities, the evening receptions and the graduation celebration.]

See all photos from APPAU St. Louis

Next stop: New Orleans

APPAU heads to the Hyatt Regency New Orleans, Feb. 15 to 18, 2027, for the Institute for Facilities Management, the Leadership Academy and CEFP Exam Prep. Registration is now open, and rooms are available in the APPA hotel block while they last.

If this week looked like something you and your team need, start with one course.

Register for APPAU New Orleans | Book your hotel