What area do you work in within the VPFA portfolio?
I work in the Environmental Health and Safety department of Safety and Risk Services.
What is your current position, and what are your job responsibilities?
My title is Building Environmental Sciences Technician. My primary responsibility is to help manage asbestos building materials on campus, which involves conducting building surveys, designing and managing asbestos abatement work, and collaborating with construction management and general contractors to facilitate development projects. I also conduct water intrusion assessments and mitigation, lead-based paint management, and deal with indoor air quality and mold issues.
What has been your career path; how did you end up in your current position?
After graduating from the University of California, Davis in Environmental Science, I went to work for several years in environmental consulting doing Phase I Environmental Site Assessments of commercial/industrial facilities throughout California. I also worked as a whitewater rafting guide during the summers on multiple rivers near Yosemite for my family’s rafting business. After my wife finished her Master’s degree in Geology, we took a break from work and school and spent five months on the road traveling the western U.S. and living out of our truck before settling down in Oregon.
What obstacles have you overcome in your career?
Prior to moving up to Oregon in 2014, my wife and I were working at a ski resort in Utah when we got the fantastic news that we were expecting a baby boy. Looking for a little more job stability, we moved all our belongings to a new state, started a new job, and had a new baby all within the period of about five weeks. The pace of change was crazy, but we learned how to manage our priorities and are very happy with the decision.
What is your work history and education that enabled you to attain your current position?
I have worked in the environmental field (mostly in the private consulting sector) off and on since graduating college in 2006. More recently, I worked for PBS Environmental & Engineering in Eugene. I was conducting asbestos surveys for schools (including the UO) and commercial buildings, collecting and analyzing asbestos air samples, and providing abatement oversight for projects of all sizes.
How has working at the UO enabled your professional goals and interests?
The diversity of projects and people that I am fortunate enough to work with not only keeps the job interesting and engaging, but also helps me continue to develop my knowledge and skillset within the environmental field. The daily professional collaboration with people much smarter and more experienced than myself allows me to broaden my abilities.
What do you like about your current position?
The people I get to work with are pretty awesome, not only within my department but throughout campus. Their unique backgrounds bring out some great stories, as well as new ideas within specialized fields. There is great support and encouragement from my leadership to go out of my comfort zone to experience and learn new things, take classes, and better myself. I also get to crawl around in and survey all sorts of cool places throughout campus: steam tunnels, mechanical rooms, crawlspaces, attics, roofs, etc. There are some pretty wild spots to explore, especially within the older buildings.
What advice would you have for others; what secrets would you share for someone thinking of applying to the UO?
No secrets, just make it happen. The UO has definitely been one of the best places I’ve ever worked.
Share a little about yourself personally:
- Family: My wonderful wife Kelly and I have been married for nine years. We are raising and chasing after our four-year-old son Wyatt and 16-month-old daughter Josie.
- Favorite food: BBQ tri-tip, or anything with gravy
- Best movie you’ve seen: Even split between The Big Lebowski and Predator
If you could only take three items with you to a deserted island, what would they be?
My deserted island already has a crate full of survival supplies, so I would take:
- An electric guitar with a giant amplifier (basically the one from Back to the Future)
- A DIY build kit for the Swiss Family Robinson tree house
- A set of glow-in-the-dark bocce balls
(May 2019)