APPA comprises six regions: CAPPA, ERAPPA, MAPPA, PCAPPA, RMA, and SRAPPA. Each region holds an annual meeting in the fall that provides institutional members with professional development opportunities and business partners a chance to engage with members on various levels. Following are conference reports from each region. Learn more about APPA’s regions and chapters.
ERAPPA—Eastern Region
By Patty Smith
ERAPPA President
Cabrini University
Opening of the Hall of Resources at the 2023 ERAPPA conference.
Vision for organizations includes the ability to think about and plan for the future with imagination and wisdom. That must have been the beacon that our ERAPPA 2023 Host Committee Co-Chairs, Kevin Simpson and Greg Clayton, relied upon in 2018 when preparing for what was to be a 2020 conference that was delayed for three years.
Through clever scheduling, the 2020+3 conference emerged in beautiful St. John, New Brunswick, Canada. Our terrific host committee welcomed 357 attendees to a fantastic view of the unique Bay of Fundy and three days of wonderful programming.
The event began with the warm welcome of 95 first-time attendees, followed by the opening of the Hall of Resources (featuring 65 business partners), 27 educational sessions, and the always fun Monday Night Networking Event. The conference concluded with the Awards Banquet and installation of the 2023–2024 ERAPPA Board of Directors, providing the 67th Annual ERAPPA Conference attendees with powerful memories.
First-time attendee reception at ERAPPA 2023.
A key conference highlight included an inspiring, entertaining, and personal journey presented by Lance Alworth, the first deaf NBA player. The story of his humble beginnings—encompassing a hard-fought journey and culminating with attaining his dream—allowed the audience to envision themselves on similar paths to achieving their own goals. The conference business meeting included a surprise when our insightful president, Sheri Vucci, recruited a team to research and compile the history of ERAPPA. An ad hoc committee comprising ERAPPA past presidents and led by ERAPPA Secretary Jon Terry shared the very beginnings of ERAPPA and will continue this effort until present-day activities are included.
2023-2024 ERAPPA Board of Directors
1st Row: Sherri Vucci (Past President), Patty Smith (President), Greg Clayton (President-Elect)
2nd Row: Mike Dixon (Treasurer), Leslie Whitby (Business Partner Liaison), Mary Grube (VP Professional Development)
3rd Row: George Stooks (VP Annual Meetings), Jessica Abbott (Regional Director), Jason Sawyer (VP Technology and Communication), Hugh Briggs (VP Chapter Development), Jon Terry (Secretary), Andy Feick (VP Member and Community Engagement)
At the Awards banquet, President Sheri Vucci acknowledged the many volunteers who served in a variety of roles with certificates of appreciation and presented beautiful crystal pieces to the APPA and ERAPPA award winners. Keith Woodward served as Master of Ceremony, while Jessica Abbott, outgoing president, installed the new ERAPPA Board of Directors.
APPA AWARDS
Pacesetter Award:
Phillip Melnick (Penn State University)
ERAPPA AWARDS
Rising Star Award:
Nicole Embleton-Lake (AAPPA); Christi Mueller Ford (DVAPPA); Erik Cagle (KAPPA); Josh Johnson (NJAPPA); Gary Goss (NYAPPA); Stepanka Elias (OAPPA); Glen Mathieu (SNEAPPA)
Chapter Champion Award:
Leon MacLellan (AAPPA); Stephen Falkowski (DVAPPA); Greg Black (KAPPA); Colleen Kirby (MD/DC APPA); Earl Farrell (NJAPPA); John Moore (NYAPPA); Jessica Picard (NNECERAPPA); Mary Quintana (OAPPA); Spencer Wood (OCFMA); Jean Robinson (SNEAPPA)
President’s Award:
Jon Terry (Quinnipiac); Greg Sofield (Smithsonian Institution); Steve Hintz (Smithsonian Institution)
Norman H. Bedell Award:
Emeritus Status:
Outgoing:
Chapter Presidents, Committee Members, 2022 Host Committee Members, Liaisons to APPA Committees, and Board Members were recognized and thanked for this significant service and contribution.
2023-2024 ERAPPA OFFICERS
President—Patty Smith (Cabrini University)
President-Elect—Greg Clayton (University of Prince Edward Island)
Secretary—Jon Terry (Quinnipiac University)
Treasurer—Michael Dixon (University of Delaware)
APPA Liaison—Lander Medlin
To view ERAPPA’s website and find a complete listing of the board of directors, please go to https://www.erappa.org/board/.
2024 CONFERENCE: September 29–October 1 • Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
SRAPPA—Southeastern Region
By Solomon T. Franklin
SRAPPA Vice President of Communications
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
SRAPPA Immediate Past President Rosalba Ledezma
SRAPPA leads to inspire! Participants at the 2023 SRAPPA Conference, “Leveling Up: Tools and Techniques for the 2020s,” in Roanoke, Virginia, had the opportunity to connect with industry leaders and learn new techniques to level up. The state chapter host for this regional conference was VAPPA (Virginia APPA), which worked collaboratively with the SRAPPA Conference Committee to present an impactful event.
Col. James L. “Jay” Williams, Jr., retired from the Virginia Military Institute, gave an opening address called “Connections.” Maj. Gen. Craig B. Whelden, retired from the U.S. Army and now with Whelden Associates, gave a timely and inspirational keynote speech entitled “Inspirational Leadership in Challenging Times.” The conference concluded with banquet dinner speaker Jones Loflin, founder of HOPE Inc., discussing “What to Do About Too Much to Do,” which focuses on accomplishing what’s most important.
Attendees also chose from 24 educational breakout sessions, and some attendees participated in APPA’s Level 1 Leadership Academy. In addition, there were opportunities for museum tours, a visit to the Mill Mountain Zoo/Roanoke Star, and a costume party: The Monster Bash.
Meaningful connections made between business partners and attendees are another key component of the SRAPPA conference. SRAPPA is very grateful to our business partners. We know that their involvement makes the conference possible and creates a dynamic experience for those in attendance.
SRAPPA AWARDS
SRAPPA Service Award:
Dan Whatley (Auburn University)
Rosalba Ledezma (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)
SRAPPA President’s Award:
Tom Jones (Clemson University)
Rosalba Ledezma (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University)
2023-2024 SRAPPA OFFICERS
President: Gregg Clarke (University of Florida)
Immediate Past President—Rosalba Ledezma
President-Elect—Jeffrey Benjamin (University of Georgia)
Vice President: Colin Sewell (University of Alabama)
Treasurer: David Maharrey
Vice President for Conferences: Tom Jones (Clemson University)
Vice President for Education: Priti Bhatia (Georgia Institute of Technology)
Vice President of Communications: Solomon T. Franklin (University of North Carolina at Charlotte)
Vice President of Chapter Affairs: David Van Hook (Georgia Highlands College)
SRAPPA Director to APPA Board: David E. Smith (University of North Carolina at Charlotte)
APPA Liaison—Leah Thayer
To view SRAPPA’s website and find a complete listing of the board of directors, please go to http://srappa.org.
2024 CONFERENCE: October 27–31 • Chattanooga, Tennessee
MAPPA—Midwest Region
By Nicole Corll
RMA President Elect
Kent State University
Jeremiah Swetel, MAPPA president
MAPPA is dedicated to maintaining, protecting, and promoting the quality of educational facilities. We had an inspiring annual conference in Chicago, Illinois, from September 24–26, 2023. The theme, “Building on Momentum,” was representative of five key factors for facilities professionals:
- People: The road to recovery and new challenges
- Evolving technology and infrastructure
- Space optimization and the changing needs of organizations
- Pushing through budget challenges with a creative approach
- Valuable data and metrics
Facilities professionals from higher education, K–12, and business partners were able to collaborate, learn, and grow from a wide range of educational sessions focused on continuing to build momentum to face the obstacles and challenges in facilities management.
Keynote speaker Rudy Ruettiger encouraged the MAPPA audience to “Dream Big” and never give up. Keynote speaker Joshua Peach encouraged us to “Be Au Sm” (be awesome) and inspire others to be their very best at work and in life.
The MAPPA conference keynote speaker was Rudy Ruettiger, inspiration for the 1993 film “Rudy.”
MAPPA leadership panel discussion with Nicole Corll, Steve Gilsdorf, Brandon Baswell, Jim Bogan, and Sue Fritts.
THE 2023–2024 MAPPA OFFICERS
President—Jeremiah Swetel (John Carroll University)
President-Elect—Nicole Corll (Kent State University)
Secretary: Daniel Ridgway (Kent State University)
Treasurer—James Klaiber
MAPPA Director to APPA Board—Steve Gilsdorf (Wayne State University)
APPA Liaison—Christina Hills
To view MAPPA’s website and find a complete listing of the board of directors, please go to http://mappa.appa.org.
2024 Regional Conference, Joint with CAPPA: October 14–16 • St. Louis, Missouri
CAPPA—Central Region
By Virginia Smith
CAPPA Secretary
University of Texas at Dallas
CAPPA President Matthew Rom
The 2023 CAPPA Annual Conference drew 230 attendees to the Marriott Dallas Allen Hotel & Convention Center in Allen, Texas, from October 1st through October 3rd. Our theme was “Big Challenges, BIGGER Opportunities,” with the belief that we can learn from each other to find bigger opportunities for improvement and efficiency.
Thirty-five educational sessions covered an array of facilities management topics, including custodial, grounds, and maintenance; planning, design, and construction; energy and utilities; management/leadership; and a deep dive on technical issues.
In addition, 135 business partners represented 65 businesses. These companies partnered with many of our educational members to share information on new projects completed at institutions throughout the CAPPA region.
The conference began Saturday with committee and Board of Directors meetings. Sunday included a PinStack Bowling outing, the First-Timers Reception, and the opening of the exhibit hall.
CAPPA group photo at the Marriott Dallas Allen Hotel & Convention Center.
CAPPA President Brian Lasey welcomed attendees to the conference Monday morning and introduced keynote speaker Dr. Calvin Jamison, Vice President for Facilities & Economic Development at The University of Texas at Dallas, for an opening address titled, “Are You the Hammer or a Nail: The Leadership Choice is Yours!” Monday evening wrapped up with a trip to Southfork Ranch (from the TV show Dallas) and a BIG Texas night of food and fun.
The CAPPA business meeting took place Tuesday morning. After the educational sessions concluded, we toured The University of Texas at Dallas campus.
The conference closed with the awards banquet and the installation of the 2023–2024 Board of Directors by APPA Treasurer Crystal Smith.
THE 2023 ANNUAL BANQUET AWARDS
CAPPA Meritorious Service Award:
Jennifer Kindt (South Dakota State University)
Virginia Smith (University of Texas at Dallas)
CAPPA Distinguished Member Award:
Angie Mitchell (Southeast Missouri State University)
CAPPA President’s Award:
CAPPA Newsletter Award:
John Lee (Oklahoma State University)
“The Butterfly Story”
THE 2023–2024 CAPPA OFFICERS
President–Mathew Rom (University of Oklahoma)
President-Elect–Luis Morales (University of Texas at El Paso)
Vice President-Membership–Jeannie Knott (University of Texas at Dallas)
Vice President-Professional Development–Ben Boslaugh (Missouri State University)
Secretary–Virginia Smith (University of Texas at Dallas)
Treasurer–Jennifer Kindt (South Dakota State University)
CAPPA Director to APPA Board–Angela Meyer (Southeast Missouri State University)
Immediate Past President–Brian Lasey (Arkansas State University)
APPA Liaison—Christina Hills
2024 CAPPA/MAPPA JOINT CONFERENCE: October 14–16 • St. Louis, Missouri
RMA—Rocky Mountain Region
By John Gleason
RMA Immediate Past President
University of Colorado Boulder
RMA 2023-2024 President Jessica Bradley
Greetings from the Rocky Mountain Region! RMA’s 2023 conference in Laramie, Wyoming, had the theme, “Elevated Expectations,” and the conference did just that through subject matter content, networking excursions, business partner engagement, and a highly attended Supervisor’s Toolkit.
We began the conference with excursion activities including hiking, golfing, and mountain biking. This set the tempo by creating a dynamic opportunity to socialize, make introductions, and build relationships prior to business partner exhibit hall engagements and content sessions. Attendance exceeded expectations, with the fully booked host hotel requiring overflow accommodations at neighboring hotels.
The conference committee has already made great strides in organizing what we’re sure will be another successful and relevant RMA conference in 2024, September 17–19 in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
The RMA board has continued its commitment to provide professional development opportunities to our membership through webinars, Supervisor Toolkits, and APPA U scholarships. Giving back to our members is, and will continue to be, a strategic goal for RMA. To this end, RMA provides a generous scholarship opportunity for members to attend APPA’s Institute for Facilities Management or the Leadership Academy.
The RMA region was represented fully at the 2023 conference in Laramie, Wyoming.
Institute for Facilities Management/Leadership Academy Scholarships:
Shelby Davidson (Aims Community College); TJ Ashment (BYU Idaho); Kirk Bierschenk (Montana State University); Shawn Long (Montana State University); Jarod Davis (University of Colorado Boulder); Claudia Isela Acosta-Lopez (University of Colorado Boulder); Christian Parker (University of Colorado Boulder); Robert Allen (University of Colorado Boulder); Jason Tavares (University of Colorado Boulder); Sarah Boyd (University of Northern Colorado); Douglas Hall (Weber State University)
2023–2024 RMA OFFICERS
President—Jessica Bradley (University of Colorado Boulder)
President-Elect—Vacant
Immediate Past President—John Gleason (University of Colorado Boulder)
Secretary/Treasurer—Tim Dobson (New Mexico State University)
APPA Regional Director—Luis Rocha (University of Arizona)
APPA Liaison—TBD
To view RMA’s website and find a complete listing of the Board of Directors, please go to http://rma.appa.org.
2024 Conference: September 17–19 • Las Cruces, New Mexico
PCAPPA—Pacific Coast Region
By Kimberly Case-Nichols
PCAPPA President
Nevada Health & Bioscience Corporation
PCAPPA President Ayodele Akinola
In 2023, PCAPPA focused on strengthening its strategic framework in order to harness critical successes for an optimal member experience. We believe in people first and the value of fulfillment to achieve a positive work-life balance.
Empowering our board members to take care of themselves and feel self-assured when they take their seat at the table is important. As a commitment to our members, PCAPPA created a sustainable framework to support educational facilities. Our strategic focus areas in 2023–2024 are managing board workload, regional relevance, integrated Diversity-Equity-Inclusion practices, strengthening business partner relationships, and enhanced target marketing. Our board also expanded social media engagement and the Member Spotlight program and explored many outreach opportunities. While we demonstrate resilience, agility, and commitment to embracing change, we will never become complacent.
PCAPPA’s membership numbers have been steady since fiscal year 2023. With 215 active members, of which 15 are new members (up 88% in new member engagement since the prior fiscal year), we are only 21 short of our pre-COVID (FY19) high of 236 total members.
Our 2023 in-person annual conference was held October 24–26 in San Diego, California. Our theme, “Charting a New Course,” included three professional development tracks: Leadership, Capacity, and Technology. We also held activities such as Speed Networking and Hot Topic Round Table discussions. More than 30% of our 229 attendees were first-time attendees. Collectively, attendees provided an overwhelming positive response about the conference, sharing that they felt immersed, inspired, and included in all conference activities.
PCAPPA members at the Platinum Sponsor Dinner.
PCAPPA AWARDS
Presidential Appreciation Award
Kimberly Case-Nichols (Nevada Health & Bioscience Corporation)
Anthony Guerro Distinguished Leadership Award
Nicole Sanderson (University of Washing Bothell)
Certification of Appreciation Award
Dan Sullivan (University of Washington Bothell); Moe Salem (ATS Automation); Veronica Zavala (University of San Diego )
Certification of Appreciation Award (plaque)
University of San Diego (Facilities Management)
2023-2024 PCAPPA OFFICERS
President—Dr. Ayodele Akinola (Truckee Meadows Community College)
President-Elect—Kate Kamerrer (Washington State University)
Immediate Past President/Secretary–Kimberly Case-Nichols (Nevada Health & Bioscience Corporation)
Regional Director–Eric Johnson (University of Southern California)
Treasurer–Raymond K. Orr (Pacific Lutheran University)
PCAPPA Director to APPA Board–Eric Johnson (University of Southern California)
APPA Liaison–David McCabe
Build-a-Bike team building during the PCAPPA conference in San Diego.
To view PCAPPA’s website and find a complete listing of the Board of Directors, please go to http://www.pcappa.org.
2024 CONFERENCE: October 21–23 • Spokane, Washington
