David Irvin has been named associate vice chancellor for facilities services for the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He will begin on October 3.
Irvin has more than thirty years of experience in university facilities and maintenance. He is currently associate vice president for plant operations at the University of Houston and the associate vice chancellor for plant operations for the university system. In his current role, he serves as the university architect and manages maintenance, planning, and construction for the multi-campus operation, which includes 450 facilities personnel who oversee 140 buildings for more than 41,000 students.
“Improving our facilities and infrastructure is a critical priority for the campus and an important factor in becoming a Top 25 public research university. This position has been restructured and elevated to the associate vice chancellor level to work closely with our team on these priorities,” Chris Cimino, vice chancellor for finance and administration, said.
“Irvin will help implement our recently updated master plan and help maximize our resources to address our need for additional class and laboratory space and improve our buildings and aging infrastructure. He brings a wealth of knowledge in master planning, sustainability, and LEED-standard building as well as emergency preparedness,” Cimino said.
Prior to joining the University of Houston in 2001, Irvin worked for the University of Nebraska, Omaha and Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas. He has a bachelor’s degree in architectural studies from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. He has also pursued graduate work in architecture, planning, and design at Oxford University in England, and architecture, construction engineering, and planning at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
Cimino thanked search committee members and Terry Ledford, who has served as interim executive director since Mike Sherrell retired this spring.
“Terry has led the department through a series of severe storms which caused major damage to the campus and oversaw the completion of many stimulus projects. I appreciate his hard work along with the dedication of the entire department during this time of transition,” Cimino added.