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The Lawn at UVA illuminated under a starry sky.

1. Introduction Message from Don Sundgren

Don Sundgren seated outside Skipwith Hall
Associate Vice President and Chief Facilities Officer Don Sundgren. (Photo by Jennifer Watson / User Experience & Engagement)

Facilities Management is a community of 1,200 employees. We are tradespeople, recycling specialists, project managers, landscape experts, custodians, architects, engineers and environmentalists. We can fix a burst pipe, restore a historic building and design a state-of-the-art classroom with the latest technology. We speak English, French, Swahili, Nepali and Kinyarwanda; to name a few.

And we have continued to rise to the occasion throughout this challenging time with unwavering, fantastic support of the University. In addition to providing 24-hour maintenance, celebrating the completion of big projects and kicking off new ones, our staff members stepped up to support innovative strategies to continue the University’s academic and hospital operations throughout a pandemic while ensuring faculty, staff, students and our community were kept healthy and safe.

Our teams continue to meet the challenges of UVA’s commitment to deeper climate action, with new goals of becoming carbon neutral by 2030 and fossil fuel free by 2050, in addition to phasing out all single-use plastics and boosting composting efforts. Plus, we have focused on advancing the culture of Facilities Management through the development of our Inclusive Excellence Plan that creates actionable strategies to support diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

Our story is one of adaptability and perseverance. We have learned to continuously evolve, solving problems with greater efficiency and ability than ever before.

Our Mission

Creating and caring for the physical environment in which those who seek enlightenment, knowledge, health and productive lives can flourish.