Virginia
Wesleyan University has a longstanding relationship with Aramark
Corporation. For approximately 25 years, the facilities service provider
has delivered outstanding leadership of our Physical Plant operations.
In January of this year, all Physical Plant operations, including
groundskeeping, housekeeping, and maintenance functions, became a
contracted service of Aramark, an organizational change that helped
streamline our University processes.
As part of that transition,
Bruce Vaughan announced his plans to retire on December 31. Over the
last year, he has continued to play a vital role in Physical Plant
operations. As Vice President Emeritus and Director of Capital Projects,
he has devoted his energies to several major construction projects and
transitional issues in anticipation of the service agreement
finalization on January 1, 2018.
As we near his retirement date,
we recall the many contributions Bruce has made to Virginia Wesleyan
over the last two decades. As Vice President for Operations, he
facilitated construction of Clarke Hall, Godwin Hall, the Jane P. Batten
Student Center, the apartment building in Brock Village, Honors
Village, Birdsong Field, Frank Blocker Youth Center, Greer Environmental
Sciences Center, and the Betty S. Rogers Track and Field Center. He
directed dramatic renovations of Hofheimer Library, Monumental Chapel,
Blocker Hall, Floyd E. Kellam, Jr., Social Science Lab, and Kenneth R.
Perry Field. He led the University’s commitment to sustainability,
managing the President’s Climate Commitment to achieve carbon neutrality
by 2050, and implementing the University’s energy savings program
through Aramark. He also played a significant role in our
space-utilization study, facilities-condition assessment plan, and
formulation of our comprehensive 10-year Campus Master Plan. We express
our sincerest gratitude to Bruce for his 23 years of dedicated service
to the University and offer our best wishes for an enjoyable and
well-deserved retirement. Bruce will retain a vice president emeritus
status, and he will always be a Marlin.
I am also pleased to
announce the appointment of Don Coberly to Director of Physical Plant
Operations. Don joined the Aramark team at Virginia Wesleyan University
in May 2017 as Maintenance Supervisor. His significant facilities
management experience and his first-hand knowledge of maintenance
challenges at VWU make him an ideal candidate for this role. Don has 14
years of experience as a facilities manager and over 30 years of
experience in the maintenance field. His expertise in solving complex
technical, personnel, and logistical problems—while increasing
productivity, improving service delivery, and bringing projects in
on or ahead of schedule and under budget—will all bring value to our
Physical Plant operations.
Prior to Aramark and Virginia
Wesleyan, Don provided facilities management leadership to Chartway Federal
Credit Union, managing their corporate headquarters as well as 50
locations in six states. He devoted 17 years to the United States Navy
as an engineering officer, supervising the operation, repair and
overhaul of submarine propulsion and hydraulic power plants, maintaining
the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems as well as
sanitation, water treatment and distillation systems. Don succeeds Rob
Levinsky, who also retires on December 31.
Please join me in
congratulating our fellow Marlins. We look forward to a promising future
of facilities management leadership with our service partners at
Aramark.
