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July 10, 2006 -- Donald E. Sundgren, president and northwest
region manager for Swinerton Builders, has been named chief
facilities officer for the University of Virginia.
Sundgren, 62, has spent more than 35 years in the construction
industry. He will start his new job July 10.
“This is an opportunity to return to an academic
environment,” said
Sundgren, who is moving to Charlottesville from Seattle. “And
the University of Virginia is such a storied university,
with so much history.”
A Buffalo, N.Y., native, Sundgren said the move also puts
him and his wife, Vicky, closer to their family on the
East Coast.
Sundgren has extensive experience in capital expenditures
and working with multiple stake-holders in projects. At
Swinerton Builders, he was responsible for overall operations
for Seattle; Portland, Ore.; and Honolulu. He spent two
years in the Army Corps of Engineers in the resident engineer
office in Augsburg, Germany, and taught basic and advanced
courses to engineering officers at Ft. Belvoir, Va. Sundgren
has held a variety of construction posts, including project
manager, superintendent, project engineer, vice president
and president.
A graduate of the University of Cincinnati, where he earned
his bachelor's and master's degrees in civil engineering,
Sundgren also completed the executive development program
at the University of Tennessee and the construction executive
program at Stanford University.
As a former teacher, Sundgren said he is looking forward
to returning to an academic environment. “It’s
a different feeling,” he said. “Our future
is in the education of people.”
Sundgren is coming to the University at a time of expansion
and construction, and his experiences in large construction
projects will be an asset.
“He has a collaborative, customer-focused management
style that I think will fit well in the University community,” said
Colette Sheehy, vice president for management and budget. “His
fresh ideas and perspective on the capital construction
side of our business will be an advantage as we move into
the restructuring environment where we will have more opportunities
and flexibility to change our processes.”
Sundgren’s private sector experience is a plus for
Sheehy.
“He brings a different perspective but he has the
right temperament for a public-sector college,” she said. “He
is customer-service oriented and a consensus builder. He
will fit well with the culture here.”
Richard A. Rice Jr., the deputy chief facilities officer who has been acting
department head for the past 10 months, will continue as deputy and is
now also University building official under a restructuring at Facilities
Management.
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