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EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT: JASON KELLEY
Facilities Management hit the
jackpot this summer when they found Jason Kelley, a candidate
with experience in both information technology and waste
management. He was the perfect fit to take on an important role
in its facilities centralization project as the Senior Project
Manager for Strategic Projects. And Kelley, a recent graduate of
the University of Houston�s MBA program, has hit the ground
running, taking on several tasks to help meet the department�s
goals.
Kelley, no stranger to multi-tasking, completed his master�s
degree while working at Allied Waste where he was a second-level
manager overseeing 8 supervisors and 90 trucks. He joined UH in
July 2011 after the company was sold last year. Kelley also has
previous experience working in operations and services at Dell
in Austin and as a production supervisor then service manager at
Cintas.
�The best part of my job is I�m intimately involved with
strategies for plant operations,� Kelley said. �That�s the main
reason I was excited to come here was that I had the opportunity
to get involved at a strategic level at an organization, not to
mention my alma mater.�
Kelley said he is immediately responsible for tackling four main
projects. He is developing and implementing FAMIS, a
university-wide Integrated Workplace Management Systems. FAMIS
is an online system that will provide the entire university with
a centralized place for service and maintenance requests as well
as status updates. It will also be used to track space
management which is required of the university for state
funding.
�It will provide a lot more transparency, that�s a key to it.
With that transparency comes accountability so it will also help
set expectations better for the customer as well and improve
customer service,� Kelley said.
Kelley will be visiting different facilities on campus to
evaluate inventory and space usage in order to evaluate the
needs and develop a plan to potentially save the university
money. He is also evaluating global facilities contracts with
outside vendors. He hopes to consolidate outside vendors and
sign contracts with those that propose the best bids to maximize
efficiency.
�By consolidating those needs for the university, hopefully you
can drive cost savings long term but also provide a more
consistent service throughout the campus too, �Kelley said.
With his past experience at Allied Waste, Kelley has also been
put in charge of program development for recycling and solid
waste management. He said he is going to look at our current
recycling program and vision to ensure the program is
sustainable. He will also look at other universities� programs
such as Texas A&M and the University of Texas, and hopes to
develop a program where UH can get a return on its investment
for its recycling commodities.
Kelley�s new job at UH has put him in a desired position
professionally as well as physically. He was able to remain in
the Houston area while his wife, Erica, pursues her master�s
degree in education and special education here at the University
of Houston. She is currently working at the Rise School of
Houston, a preschool for children with special needs. The couple
lives in Midtown with their two dogs and two cats.
Kelley and his wife are also avid runners and he has
participated in
several marathons including marathons in San Francisco, Austin,
Dallas and Houston. His best time was in the 2008 Houston
marathon which he completed in 3 hours and 24 minutes. He and
Erica joined a running group called the Bayou City Road Runners.
�I mainly joined because my wife enjoys running with others. I�m
more of a MP3-player-and-go type of guy. But they have helped me
to get faster,� Kelley said.
A northwest Indiana native, Kelley has made his way to make
Houston his home after traveling the world as a member of the
United States Marine Corps. He enlisted while he was pursuing
his bachelor�s degree in electronics management, attending
Purdue for his core classes then finishing up at Southern
Illinois University in an off campus degree program where he
attended classes at naval bases. Through the Marines, he has
traveled all over the world including Hawaii, Korea, Singapore,
Dubai and Thailand. Kelly said Thailand was his favorite
destination because of the beauty of the mountains and the
ocean. He said he was there before the devastating tsunami hit
the county.
�I knew those beaches,� he said.
Kelley said he is happy to have landed in Houston and become a
part of the University of Houston and Facilities Management. He
joked his biggest challenge is having �enough time in the day.�
Between his motivation, intelligence and work ethic, Kelley is
certain to be a key player and valuable addition to the
university.
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