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Celebrating Karla Balk King as the March 2026 Employee of the Month!

Congratulations to Karla Balk King, Fitness Operations Supervisor, for being recognized as the March 2026 Facilities & Campus Operations (F&CO) Employee of the Month! King received nominations from Amanda Meiklejohn, Assistant General Manager, Robin Frey, Fitness Manager, Deitra S. Williams, Fitness Instructor, and several other colleagues from the Freedom Center.

Consistently going above and beyond, King has demonstrated exceptional leadership, a strong work ethic, and dedication to maintaining the high standards of operations at the Freedom Aquatic & Fitness Center. 

While Frey was on medical leave, King immediately stepped into her leadership role to ensure smooth operations in the fitness division, beyond her usual responsibilities, including managing and supporting staff members who are typically outside her scope. This time also occurred during the Freedom Center’s Down Week, an annual week-long maintenance & repair routine. This resulted in not only King managing the cleaning of the fitness division but also maintaining her typical duties, including preventive maintenance, reorganizing existing equipment, coordinating the arrival of new equipment, and equipment installations. 

Before and even during this time, King has played an important role in maintaining the success of many programs and classes. She has also been an integral part of the Restorative Wellness Center's development. “From the earliest stages of brainstorming and design, to recruiting specialists and managing the massage program, her leadership and dedication have been central to the program’s continued growth and success.” Said Meiklejohn.

Despite the additional responsibilities, King has never hesitated to support her colleagues during challenging times while maintaining utmost professionalism to patrons at the center. “Karla is an outstanding colleague and supervisor.” Said Jason Shriner, Personal Trainer & Group Fitness Instructor, “She is intelligent, reliable, and supportive. Whenever I need advice for a client or class idea, she is always an excellent source of inspiration and advice.”

Interested in submitting a George Mason Facilities & Campus Operations Employee of the Month nomination? Check out the new process here!

Celebrating Wilson Tolentino as the February 2026 Employee of the Month!

Congratulations to Wilson Tolentino, Structural Trades Tech II, for being recognized as the February 2026 Facilities & Campus Operations (F&CO) Employee of the Month! Tolentino was nominated by Jerry Lang, Structural Trades Tech III, with additional support from Christine Powell, Project Manager.

Tolentino’s ability to adapt and precise attention to detail have been invaluable to his team. Always putting in extra effort and striving for 100% satisfaction, his outstanding work ethic often led to projects being completed before the deadline.

One example of Tolentino’s notable work was the removal and infill of an interior window in Enterprise Hall. The project was completed without additional assistance from other carpentry staff, demonstrating his exceptional skill and precision. His meticulous work and initiative to well-document each critical inspection stage with detailed photographs streamlined the process of the project significantly, and allowed them to forgo certain in-person steps before final touches. “Due to Wilson’s attention to detail, commitment to quality, and initiative in exceeding project requirements, the work was completed on time, without inspection-related delays, and under budget.” Said Powell. 

In addition, Tolentino is always eager to lend a helping hand, though often working solo. His dedication not only to his role but also to his team has been a key factor in what makes George Mason University thrive, and his efforts have not gone unnoticed.

Interested in submitting a George Mason Facilities & Campus Operations Employee of the Month nomination? Check out the new process here!

Celebrating Brian Barfield as the January 2026 Employee of the Month!

Congratulations to Brian Barfield, Building Engineer, for being recognized as the January 2026 Facilities & Campus Operations (F&CO) Employee of the Month! Barfield was nominated by fellow Freedom Aquatic & Fitness Center colleagues, Karla Balk, Fitness/Operations Supervisor; Robert Hinzman, Operations Manager; and Olga O’Brien, General Manager.

Often coming in early in the morning and leaving in the evening, Barfield's efforts have not gone unnoticed, and he has consistently been a reliable member of his team. “When problems arise, Brian acts quickly—either fixing the issue himself or making sure the right contractor addresses it efficiently.” Said Balk, “His reliability, initiative, and commitment make him an invaluable part of our team, and the Freedom Center benefits greatly from his hard work and positive attitude.”

One specific example has been during the Freedom Aquatic & Fitness Center’s annual week-long maintenance & repair routine, Down Week. Despite this being Barfield's first time as the lead Building Engineer, his incredible leadership, early planning, and ability to effectively coordinate with contractors resulted in it being a huge success. “Brian’s leadership during our recent annual Down Week was exceptional. He planned in advance, coordinated contractors, provided staff with detailed schedules, and ensured all projects were completed smoothly and on time.” Said O’Brien.

Outside of major projects, Barfield's work ethic has also made notable impacts among his colleagues. “The results spoke for themselves: a facility restored and improved, and a team that felt both motivated and proud of the outcome.” Said Hinzman, “Working alongside Brian is not a chore, but a privilege.”

While only being a team member at the Freedom Center for 5 years and less than one year in his new leadership position as Building Engineer, Barfield has demonstrated his incredible leadership skills and has consistently gone above and beyond in his role to support the George Mason community and visitors.

Interested in submitting a George Mason Facilities & Campus Operations Employee of the Month nomination? Check out the new process here!

Celebrating Oscar  Ferrufino as the January 2026 Employee of the Month

Congratulations to Oscar Ferrufino, Heavy Equipment Operator, for being recognized as the George Mason University January 2026 Employee of the Month! For 20 years, Ferrufino has been an integral part of Facilities & Campus operations as a member of George Mason's Essential Employees group.

"Oscar has a wealth of grounds knowledge and professionally completes any assigned task. It is a pleasure to work alongside him, no matter what type of task we’ve been assigned," said Archie Nesbit, senior grounds supervisor.

As highlighted by many colleagues, Ferrufino’s exceptional work ethic and teamworking skills have made an incredible impact on the university. 

Read the full story here!

Celebrating Mirwais Safi as the December 2025 Employee of the Month!

Congratulations to Mirwais Safi, Construction Field Representative, for being recognized as the December 2025 Facilities & Campus Operations (F&CO) Employee of the Month! Safi was nominated by Cathy Pinskey, Capital Program Director. In addition to this nomination, Safi has received multiple nominations and letters of support for one of George Mason’s 2025 Outstanding Achievement Awards from members of F&CO leadership and university partners. 

As a careful steward of our physical facilities and sole inspector of the Fuse building, Safi has played an invaluable role in ensuring its safe construction and opening. Located at the Mason Square campus, Fuse has become George Mason's largest and most innovative facility to date, housing STEM-related research & design labs, innovation centers, state-of-the-art smart and green building technologies, and more.  

“Mirwais is a dedicated worker who goes ‘the extra mile’ and then some, ” said Christy Hogan, Sr. Director of University Asset Management.  “His dedication to George Mason University and knowledge as the subject matter expert on codes and construction compliance has helped to ensure that we are receiving a high-quality, high-performing building.” 

Since joining the Fuse project in 2022, Safi’s commitment to safety and close attention to detail has resulted in over 2,200 contract compliance inspections, working tirelessly to ensure quality assurance. Consistently going above and beyond, in addition to his typical duties during the project, Safi had also taken the role of overseeing, reviewing, and scheduling on-site work for 3rd-party inspectors. He’s also further utilized his excellent leadership skills to mentor contract field engineers and engineering interns.  

“His knowledge and expertise of code requirements and construction practices have been instrumental in keeping this project on budget and on schedule while ensuring we receive a quality building,” said Frank Strike, VP, F&CO.  “Mirwais is an exceptionally talented professional, a person of great integrity who always accepts and excels at his work each and every day.” 

His strong values in education also led him to seek additional certifications and training, recently passing the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, and he is a step closer to obtaining his Professional Engineering (PE) license. For these reasons, “It is without hesitation that I nominate Mirwais for this Employee of the Month Award,” said Pinskey, “Mirwais is an invaluable employee in the Facilities Organization at George Mason University.”  

Interested in submitting a George Mason Facilities & Campus Operations Employee of the Month nomination? Check out the new process here!