Facilities

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July 2026 F&CO Employee of the Month – Martha Rodriguez

Celebrating Martha Rodriguez as the July 2026 Employee of the Month!

Congratulations to Martha Rodriguez, Housekeeper, for being recognized as the July 2026 Facilities & Campus Operations (F&CO) Employee of the Month! Rodriguez was nominated by Claudia Flores, Housekeeping Supervisor, SciTech Campus.

Accredited for her contributions to maintaining the Life Sciences and Engineering Building (LSEB) by earning the Historical Housekeeping Award, appreciation for Rodriguez has continued throughout her tenure. Ensuring a safe, clean, and functional environment for George Mason Patriots and visitors to enjoy. “She does a great job across the board and has received many compliments on her cleaning duties from the staff at the LSEB.” Said Flores.

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

New Living Lab Installations at the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation (SMSC) Campus

Before

After

After years of collaborative development, two new Living Lab spaces have been completed for the Residence Hall and the Academic Teaching Gardens at the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation (SMSC)! The project was developed and coordinated with our Facilities & Campus Operations (F&CO) Facilities Management (FM) Grounds team, SMSC faculty, and our contract partner Brightview.

“The creation of the new spaces marks a significant step in enhancing the landscape elements and student experience on the SMSC campus,” Erich Miller, F&CO Grounds Program Manager and horticulturist. “Great care, forethought, and consideration were taken with relation to the use of native plant species, sustainable practices, and the creation of Living Lab spaces for current and future students and visitors.”

In addition to reviving the landscapes for aesthetics, over 20 different species of native plants are expected to bloom from early spring through the fall, providing a habitat for pollinators such as birds, butterflies and bees. The new plantings will also be involved in research conducted by high school and undergrad students.

“Partnering with GMU Facilities and the SMSC faculty, we thoughtfully selected every species in the teaching garden to align with and enhance their curriculum,” said Katarina Morgan, Account Manager, BrightView Landscape Services. “Growing our partnership with [George Mason] SMSC has been incredibly rewarding. Working together to create lasting and meaningful landscapes for students, faculty and future visitors is something we take great pride in. We’re excited to continue enhancing the campus with thoughtful and sustainable design.”

The installation was completed on October 2, 2025.

June 2026 F&CO Employee of the Month – Nathan Moy

Celebrating Nathan Moy as the June 2026 Employee of the Month!

Congratulations to Nathan Moy, Building Systems Engineer, for being recognized as the June 2026 Facilities & Campus Operations (F&CO) Employee of the Month! Moy was nominated by J. Paul Ewing, Associate Director of Facilities Information Systems (FITS).

Consistently managing a diverse workload with a high level of professionalism, responsiveness, and technical expertise, making him an invaluable team member to his colleagues at the Biomedical Research Lab (BRL) and to F&CO. His outstanding performance, dependability, and significant contributions are remarkable.

Throughout his time, he's provided exceptional IT support for BRL staff members, addressing both daily operational needs and complex system issues. His calm, methodical approach has earned the trust and appreciation of BRL staff, who rely on him to maintain their system's stability and efficiency.

Moy has also taken on and continues to support several impactful projects, including:

  • Vocera Badge implementation, where he coordinated setup, configuration, user support, and system integration.
  • Security camera system upgrades, ensuring improved coverage, higher video quality, and better security for the BRL.
  • License Plate Recognition (LPR) installation, where he supports hardware deployment, configurations, and testing.

In addition to his daily responsibilities, Moy plays a critical role in server administration for high-priority systems, upholding FITS operations and life-safety functions, and ensuring reliability for essential services.

“Nathan’s ability to balance service requests, project execution, and server administration—while communicating effectively with stakeholders—demonstrates a level of dedication and technical proficiency that strengthens the entire department.” Said Ewing. “His work is consistently thorough, timely, and aligned with the needs of both Facilities IT and the BRL.”

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

May 2026 F&CO Employee of the Month – Shane Pusey

Celebrating Shane Pusey as the May 2026 Employee of the Month!

Congratulations to Shane Pusey, Warehouse Storekeeper, for being recognized as the May 2026 Facilities & Campus Operations (F&CO) Employee of the Month! Pusey was nominated by Evan McIntosh, Warehouse Operations Supervisor.

Pusey’s dedication to his role, professionalism, and his outstanding ability to be a team player have been invaluable to his peers. Constantly going above and beyond, Pusy has been a reliable colleague who doesn't hesitate to step up to support his team.

While several of his colleagues were away on medical leave, Pusey stepped up to take on the additional responsibilities without hesitation, ensuring that daily operations ran smoothly. During this time, he continued to maintain the shop's high standards, ensuring everything was properly organized, clean, and fully functional.

In addition to the extra responsibilities, Pusey would take the initiative to request additional training to broaden his skills and advance his career, demonstrating his excellent work ethic, eagerness to learn, and long-term commitment to the success of both himself and the organization. “Shane’s flexibility, positive attitude, and dedication exemplify the qualities we value most.” Said McIntosh, “He has gone above and beyond expectations, making him highly deserving of recognition as Employee of the Month.”

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

Meet the 2026 Summer Internship Cohort

 

George Mason Facilities & Campus Operations (F&CO) extends a warm welcome to our new Summer 2026 interns! The interns will gain meaningful and applicable real-world experience through targeted projects throughout the summer.

Featured:

  • Jade Abuzaid, Senior, Environmental & Sustainable Studies
    • Land Development Intern
  • Kofi Gyamfi, Junior, Mechanical Engineering
    • Building Automation Systems Intern
  • Nadine Jingo, Junior, Environmental Science and Sustainability Studies
    • Recycling/Waste Management Intern
  • Bridget Jones, Senior, Tourism and Events Management
    • Events Team Management Intern
  • Benjamin Lee, Senior, Civil Engineering
    • Design & Construction Management Intern
  • Harper Martin, Junior, Environmental Resource Management  
    • Greenhouse & Gardens Program Intern
  • Keoni Pasik, Senior, Environmental Science, Conc. Conservation and Wildlife Management 
    • Land Development Intern
  • Vicky Ramirez Figueroa, Sophomore, Civil Engineering   
    • Asset Management Intern
  • Zoa Sharin, Senior, Business, Conc. Marketing 
    • Communications & Marketing Intern
  • Jessica Tran, Junior, Business, Conc. Management Information Systems
    • Patriot Packout Intern

Earth Month 2026 Recap

This April 2026, F&CO, University Sustainability, and additional university partners celebrated Earth Month! Here are a few highlights from the events that took place during the month. Remember that you can celebrate the Earth, all year round – not just in April! Thank you for helping us #sustainMASON!

Earth Month 2026 Highlights: 

  • Earth Month 2026 Video: In partnership with George Mason Student Government, a long-form video and a series of reels were produced to encourage on-campus sustainability actions and educate about different ways to be more sustainable on campus. 
  • Seed Library: Funded by the Patriot Green Fund, the Seed Library, located in Fenwick Library, provides Patriots with seeds that they can take home, plant, and even return! To celebrate, the seed library hosted various interactive events. 
  • Food Redistributions: Hosted by University Sustainability’s Greenhouse & Gardens program, fresh food redistributions were held every week. The fresh produce included leafy greens, microgreens, tomatoes, and more! 
  • Sustainability Audits: F&CO hosted the following sustainability-focused audits to encourage students to learn about waste and proper disposal methods: 
    • Weigh the Waste in partnership with Mason Dining
    • Water Refill Station Count | Co-hosted with The Plastics Free Mason Civil Fellows
  • Patriot Packout (PPO): Patriot Packout 2026 is ongoing until May 13! Donate like-new and gently used items at various locations on the Fairfax, SciTech, and Smithsonian School of Conservation campuses. This Earth Month, PPO hosted multiple drop-in events where donated items were freely redistributed to the George Mason Community.
  • Stream Cleanup: This month, participants volunteered with F&CO’s Land Development team to help clean up the Fairfax campus and preserve our waterways. In total, volunteers collected 30 lbs. of trash and 20 lbs. of recycling!

  • Fairs, Markets, and tabling: This year, F&CO and University Sustainability hosted and participated in several fairs, markets, and tabling sessions throughout the month!
    • Farmers Market | Hosted by Student Government
    • Free Resources Fair | Co-hosted with Patriot Pantry
    • Earth Day Fair | Co-hosted with Mason Recreation 

F&CO Earth Month Clean Up Events

This Earth Month 2026, two teams within Facilities & Campus Operations (F&CO) held cleanup events to collect trash and recyclables on the Fairfax and SciTech campuses!  

On April 15, 2026, the Land Development team hosted a Stream Cleanup event where participants collected litter from the parking lots surrounding Eagle Bank Arena and Mason Pond to reduce water pollution in nearby streams. In total, volunteers collected 30 lbs. of trash and 20 lbs. of recycling within 2 hours! 

On April 22, 2026, Facilities Management (FM) hosted a Campus Cleanup event. Under Erich Miller’s leadership this year, multiple FM zones and teams participated in collecting trash and recycling throughout the Fairfax and Scitech campuses. Weighed by the Waste & Recycling team, the total weights from both campuses are listed below: 

Fairfax Campus: 

  • 142 lbs. of trash 
  • 265 lbs. recycling 

SciTech Campus: 

  • 75 lbs. trash 

Combined, the two events resulted in the collection of over 240 pounds of trash and 285 pounds of recycling! 

In addition to the Campus Cleanup, the FM Grounds team planted seven new trees on the Fairfax campus in honor of Earth Month. The new trees include dogwood, red oak, and dawn redwood. More information will soon be added to the Arboretum database. 

 

April 2026 F&CO Employee of the Month – Travis Sullivan

Celebrating Travis Sullivan as the April 2026 Employee of the Month! 

Congratulations to Travis Sullivan, Construction Field Representative, for being recognized as the April 2026 Facilities & Campus Operations (F&CO) Employee of the Month! Sullivan was nominated by Christy Hogan, Senior Director of Asset Management, and Christine Powell, Project Manager. 

In his short time here at F&CO, Sullivan has already been an outstanding member of the Planning, Design & Construction (PD&C) team. Always going the extra mile to support his colleagues, Sullivan has made himself known to be dependable and dedicated to his role as a Construction Field Representative. 

His great attention to detail during projects has been valuable in ensuring contractors continue to provide compliant and high-quality work for the university despite unexpected challenges. His consistent presence serves as reliable support to both contractors and his colleagues. While filling in to supervise a construction project, Sullivan noticed a contractor working in unsafe conditions. He then followed the next steps to alert the appropriate staff, and as a result, the work was removed and corrected. For a separate project at the Johnson Center, Sullivan ensured his availability by checking in with the crew every day at 5 AM to guarantee project success. 

In addition to his technical skill, his approachable demeanor and positivity have given him the reputation of being a trusted member of the PD&C team. “Travis’s dedication, teamwork, and professionalism truly exemplify the values of our organization, making him highly deserving of recognition as Employee of the Month,” said Christine Powell. 

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

2026 Outstanding Achievement Award Winners

Outstanding Achievement Awards Ceremony. Photo by Evan Cantwell/George Mason University

Human Resources is excited to announce the 2026 Outstanding Achievement Awards recipients! 

The ceremony was broadcast by GMU-TV and a link to the recording is on the Outstanding Achievement Awards website. As we enter awards season at George Mason, it's important to us at George Mason Facilities & Campus Operations to recognize our fellow Patriots for their success. Congratulations to the following award winners within F&CO!

Goldie and Dianne Hattery Award for Excellence

  • Karen Soriano-Maginness, Lead Housekeeper, SciTech Campus

Sustainability Hero Award

  • Jonathan Elwell, Director, Dining Services, Auxiliary and Business Services

Outstanding Supervisor Award

  • Olga O’Brien, General Manager, Freedom Center, Facilities & Campus Operations

Click here for the full list of award winners!

Glass Recycling Trailers Receive New Solar Panel Additions

The Glass Recycling Program received an upgrade thanks to Oscar Ferrufino, Grounds Heavy Equipment Operator, Chris Thorpe, Zone 6 Electrical Supervisor, and Derek Borzi, Electrician, Zone 6! Oscar, Chris, and Derek proposed the installation of small solar panels to trickle charge rechargeable batteries on the Purple Trailers. The batteries power the Purple Trailers' hoist, allowing them to safely dump their contents at Fairfax County’s I-66 Transfer Station when they're full of recyclable glass bottles and jars! After the trailers are dumped, a glass recycling partner collects the glass and crushes it into small pieces. The pieces are cleaned and sorted to produce glass cullet. The glass cullet is transported to regional manufacturing facilities and reused to produce recycled glass containers! Before this creative idea, the batteries on the Purple Trailers wouldn't have an adequate charge to power their hoist to safely dump the recyclable glass. Now, all of the glass bottles and jars are safely dumped, and then they're recycled! The solar panels were ordered and installed on the Purple Trailers by Chris and Derek. 

The Glass Recycling Program is an impactful collaboration between Facilities Services' Recycling and Waste and University Sustainability's Zero Waste Program advancing George Mason University towards its Zero Waste Mason goal of 90%+ diversion away from the trash