Dear colleagues,
Each January, the OF&S leadership team comes together for our annual retreat to reflect on the year ahead and align on our most important priorities. This year’s conversation was grounded in how we continue to advance operational excellence, deliver a strong customer experience, and foster a community of care in support of the university’s ambitious strategic goals.
As part of this work, we recently completed an evaluation of our divisional structure, which resulted in several organizational changes, including the recently announced updates within Public Safety & Research Security and Real Estate & Facilities. These changes reflect our ongoing commitment to ensuring we are well-positioned to serve the campus effectively.
Considering this, a key theme of our retreat was how we, as OF&S leaders, can better support you through this ongoing period of transformation while continuing to build a more unified, cross-functional culture across the division. We recognize that many of you may be feeling fatigued by the pace of change. Our intent—and our expectation—is that this work, including the Building Momentum Together initiatives, will lead to clearer administrative processes and enhanced technology that ultimately make your work more efficient and sustainable.
Recent Engagements & Award Winners
I also want to take a moment to celebrate our people and recent opportunities to connect. Two highlights from the past few weeks were our New Year Celebration and our FY25 Awards Luncheon. The New Year Celebration brought together more than 400 team members, and it was truly a highlight of the year for me—seeing our team come together is always a source of pride and gratitude.
The FY25 Awards Luncheon was another special opportunity to recognize excellence across OF&S. Congratulations again to our FY25 award recipients:
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Lisa Smithies (Budget & Finance)
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Lewis Coleman (OIT)
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The Strategic Sourcing & Procurement Team (Budget & Finance)
We have also identified the FY26 fall semester recipients of the Excellence in Customer Service award. Please join me in congratulating:
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Rebekah Lindquist (Budget & Finance) for her leadership in the successful rollout of the new Labor Distribution process.
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Petko Ivanov (Facilities, Planning, & Capital Construction) for his proactive, collaborative approach to strengthening biosafety across campus.
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Ally Slaughter (Human Resources) for delivering exceptional recruitment support during a critical hiring period.
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Matt Hester (Facilities, Planning, & Capital Construction) for his customer-centered leadership during the construction of Sarofim Hall.
VSIP Discussion with Provost Dittmar
Finally, I want to remind you of the upcoming VSIP Roundtable. Provost Dittmar and I will expand on how teams are being supported through this transition. This discussion will be the focus of our February Admin Forum on Wednesday, February 18, at 9:00 a.m. I hope you will join us.
Thank you for your continued dedication and care for our community. I am grateful for all that you do.
Sincerely,
Kelly Fox,
Executive Vice President, Operations, Finance & Support