Two At-Large Members Added to APPA Board of Directors
Lynne Finn and Kimberly Case-Nichols were recently appointed to at-large positions on the APPA Board of Directors.
Kimberly Case-Nichols
Lynne Finn
Per APPA’s bylaws, the board chair can appoint up to two at-large voting members to serve two-year terms. The executive committee identifies individuals best suited to fill these roles based on the organization’s strategic needs. At this time, the board felt that representation from the educational programming for APPA and business partner members would be ideal. The chair identified Lynne & Kimberly, who were interested and enthusiastic to serve on the APPA board. They each submitted their CVs and letters of interest detailing their substantial work and many years of volunteer service to the APPA community. The APPA board reviewed this material, followed by ratifying the nominations to install them on the board. Each at-large member can be appointed for a second two-year term.
Finn currently serves as the associate vice president and director of facilities management (FM) at the University of Iowa and has over 30 years of experience in educational institution facilities. Before her current role, she served as the assistant vice president of FM, director of Business and Financial Services, and associate director of Campus Services in Building and Landscape Services.
In addition to her professional role, Finn is the program manager (provost) for the APPA Institute for Facilities Management, dean of the utilities core track, and instructor in the operations and administration tracks. She is also a contributing author and a member of the editorial team for Operational Guidelines for Educational Facilities: Custodial and a recipient of the APPA Pacesetter and Presidential Awards. As an at-large member, Finn will represent the interests of APPA’s professional development program.
“I’m delighted to serve on the APPA Board of Directors and am honored to represent APPA U at the table,” Finn said. “I owe much of my career success to APPA, specifically the professional development programs. So, to be able to serve in this capacity is an opportunity to give back to our profession and APPA. I look to the future of APPA with optimism and excitement and am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the future before us.”
Case-Nichols serves as the general manager of strategic operations and FM at Nevada Health & Bioscience Corporation. She has over 20 years of leadership experience in educational facilities, successfully executing business strategies and managing complex educational, clinical, and research facilities. She serves as past president and secretary of PCAPPA—Pacific Coast Region of APPA, is an emerita administrative faculty at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and actively participates in the Association of American Medical Colleges.
In her role as an at-large member, Case-Nichols’ priorities include developing a Business Partner Committee to strengthen connections between APPA and business partner members, as well as promoting the value of APPA’s initiatives. She also looks to identify and pursue new opportunities for collaboration and innovation and support efforts to boost member engagement through strategic sponsorships, impactful events, and valuable resources.
“I am honored to join the APPA Board as an At-Large member,” Case-Nichols said. “With my extensive experience as a facilities professional, I bring an intuitive understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities our industry faces. I look forward to contributing valuable insights from both business and facilities management perspectives as we collaborate to reimagine APPA’s future. Equally important to me is fostering a meaningful and engaging experience for all APPA members and business partners, while strengthening the sense of community that defines our organization.”
APPA’s 2024 Awards Recipients
Every year, APPA recognizes the excellence and achievement of individuals and institutions through the APPA Awards Program. The program was established to identify and encourage individual and institutional excellence in facilities management, as well as encourage and promote active participation in APPA’s programs and services.
APPA is happy to announce the following recipients of the 2024 Awards Program: three Institutional Awards and two Individual Awards.
Institutional Awards
Effective and Innovative Practices Award
- University of Connecticut
Building Your Workforce from Within: Future Workforce for UConn Facilities Operations - University of Wisconsin
Helium Shortage 4.0
Sustainability Innovation Award
- California State University, Sacramento
Hornet Reuse
Individual Awards
Meritorious Service Award
- David Smith, SRAPPA
University of North Carolina, Charlotte
Pacesetter Award
- Kevin Simpson, ERAPPA
University of New Brunswick/Fredericton
Click here to learn more about the APPA awards program and to see past recipients. Look for more details on the 2024 awards, winners, and next year’s award cycle in the January/February 2025 issue of Facilities Manager.
Congratulations to the 2024 APPA Awards recipients!
There’s Still Time to Register for APPA’s 2025 Professional Development Events
There is still time to register for APPA U at the Omni Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas, which will be held January 6–9, 2025. During this time, APPA’s long-standing and highly successful courses, the Institute for Facilities Management (January 6–9) and the Leadership Academy (January 7–9), will be presented, in addition to the Supervisor’s Toolkit.
Sign into the APPA website to register for APPA U, then make hotel reservations.
APPA U is now offered twice yearly (January and June) at different locations across the United States. In June 2025, the event will be held at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida, from June 2–5. Registration will open soon.
On April 9–11, the APPA Spring Conference will return for its second year, this year in New Orleans, Louisiana. Early bird registration ends January 31, 2025. Learn more and register on the Spring Conference webpage. Rex Miller, a distinguished expert in optimizing human and team performance, will be the keynote speaker.
BOK Chapter Updates & CFaR Reports Added
In the past two months, three chapters in APPA’s Body of Knowledge (BOK) have been updated, and three Center for Facilities Research (CFaR) reports have been added.
CFaR was established in 2002 by APPA to organize and consolidate research in educational facilities management. Its mission is to advance the body of knowledge of facilities management through research, discovery, and innovation. To accomplish this mission, CFaR projects have contributed to the body of knowledge and literature related to educational facilities.
The new CFaR reports are entitled Examining Benefits Realization Management in University Capital Projects—Early Observations of Current Practices, Custodian Impact on Student Success, and Performance Management through Service Quality Perspective. These and past reports can be found on the CFaR page.
Eleven BOK chapters have been updated so far in 2024. The most recent updates are the Building Architectural and Structural Systems, Change Management, and In-House Design and Construction chapters.
APPA’s BOK is a foundational resource composed of multiple chapters covering all aspects of educational facilities management. It is available to APPA members online whenever needed. The BOK is updated continuously, and chapters are posted as soon as they are peer-reviewed and approved for publication.
Be sure to check out this valuable resource often and find something new to assist you in doing your job better every day!
Congratulations to 2024 CEFP Recipients, New Cohort Opens January 1
Thus far, in 2024, 140 facilities professionals have become certified with APPA’s CEFP (Certified Educational Facilities Professional). This credential demonstrates superior proficiency, professional strength, and unfailing dedication to the educational facilities field and its challenges. You can find the list of 2024 CEFP recipients here.
The value of CEFP Certification is that it is the only credential that focuses on educational facilities professional development. It encompasses the full, multidisciplinary range of educational facilities management principles and practices—from planning, design, and construction to daily operations and general management. Certification makes you competitive with other professionals and more desirable for future leadership positions—an investment that will pay dividends in career development.
CEFP certification is designed for aspiring and existing educational facilities professionals with at least eight years of combined education and professional facilities management experience. Click here to learn more about starting your CEFP journey. The next study cohort will begin January 1, 2025. Click here to register.
Don’t Forget the 2024 Thought Leaders Report Is Available for Download
APPA’s 2024 Thought Leaders Report, “The Campus of 2030: Risks and Opportunities,” has been completed, and results from observations made during the Thought Leaders symposium in Alexandria, VA, held February 26–28, 2024.
During the symposium, 30 professionals in educational institutions and facilities management examined a variety of topics, including new technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), staffing, adapting to institutional change, the outlook of enrollment in higher education, leadership, and streamlining processes to help facilities personnel prepare themselves and their institutions for the future.
In addition to the 2024 report, past Thought Leaders reports and many other publications supporting educational facilities management are available at the APPA Bookstore!
Find Unique Holiday Gifts at the APPA Lands’ End Online Store
Show the world you are part of the top professional organization in the educational facilities world and share the sentiment with your coworkers and friends—just in time for the holidays!
At the APPA Lands’ End store, you can purchase high-quality apparel and other gear of your choice and have them personalized with the APPA logo. All personalized products are backed 100 percent by the Lands’ End product guarantee.
Visit the store today to fulfill your APPA gear needs, and those of your staff!
Kevin Willmann is APPA’s communications writer/editor and managing editor of Facilities Manager. You can reach him at [email protected].
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