Crew Spotlight : Shayla Adkins

This month's Crew Spotlight is Miss Shayla Adkins.  Shayla is MSU Facilities Computerized Maintenance Management Software Specialist (CMMS).

Shayla has worked in MSU Facilities for 5 years total. Three years she was a part time employee and two years a full time employee. Before MSU she was a manager at KFC for 1.5 years and a Lifeguard for 2 years.

Currently Shayla's job at MSU consist of Managing keys across campus, Managing our Facilities Work Order system, and helping with the Genetec Security Software. Shayla is a huge part of how we function and run Facilities and we are very thankful to have her! Her job also requires her to take the Genetec Software Training this summer. Shayla's favorite part of her job are the people she works with.

Fun Fact about Miss Shayla is that she comes from a line of Facilities workers. So, basically she is like a "legacy" for MSU Facilities! Currently her brother Khi Adkins works for MSU as well, Khi is part of the moving crew. In the past her grandfather was a carpenter for nearly 10 years at MSU, her dad Jeff Adkins also worked at MSU for 17 years before starting his own business and her Mother Dana Howard - Adkins worked at MSU as a BST as well.

Outside of work Shayla enjoys spending the majority time with her family especially her nephew Sawyer! Also, over the years of watching her father cook and bake Shayla has taken up a love for it as well. If she could travel anywhere she would want to travel to England and hang out with the Royal Fam! Her favorite TV Show is Friends,  by the way, "Rachel and Ross were not on a break".

MSU Facilities Management is very lucky to have Shayla on our team! We appreciate all of her hard work, knowledge, and dedication!

Crew Spotlight: Brooke Cooper

This week’s Crew Spotlight is the wonderful Brooke Cooper! Brooke is MSU Facilities Management CADD Operator, and has been so since October of 2001!

When she was first hired, Brooke’s CADD Operator duties consisted of drawing up the plans for campus room renovations, maintaining historical and new building information, such as construction documents and building information. Additionally, when she was hired, Brooke also sent reports to the council on building and room use on campus.

Now, Brooke’s job has shifted slightly. She still maintains historical and new building records. However, now, she does a lot of work with contractors, to ensure they have all the information they need to do their job. Additionally, when there is a relocation or renovation of offices, Brooke works with the faculty and staff to determine what their needs are throughout the process.

Brooke’s job is more than just what you see at the surface! She says to be good at this job, one must be able to communicate effectively with a variety of people. She also does a lot of outside research to develop a plan for what faculty and staff may need in a new space. This job also requires a lot of organization!

Brooke’s favorite part about her job are the people she works with. She says working at Facilities Management is like working with a big family!

Before she joined us at MSU, Brooke attended vocational school. While in school, she worked at a bank, where she says she developed customer service and financial skills that help her in her current job!

Following that, she worked at Staggs and Fisher, a consulting engineering firm in Lexington. She worked there for two years, and was the only female draftsperson in the entire office! In her two years there, Brooke says she learned a lot that became helpful to her in her career, specifically her auto CADD skills.

Then, Brooke worked in telecommunications, in which she learned about design, electrical work, and data operations, all of which she utilized in her job today!

When Brooke isn’t working, she enjoys travelling, as well as spending time with her children and husband. However, she says if she could spend the day with anyone, she would choose to do so with Oprah!

MSU Facilities Management is very lucky to have Brooke on our team. We appreciate all of her hard work, knowledge, and dedication!

Crew Spotlight: Barry Cox

Happy Wednesday! Today we are spotlighting crew member Barry Cox, who has been an MSU HVAC technician for 18 years!

Barry has an important job- he keeps us all comfortable! As an HVAC technician, Barry ensures our campus has heating and cooling. In addition, he repairs line leaks, completes electrical and plumbing work, and refrigeration needs.

Barry has two licenses that are required for his job. The first is his HVAC license, which permits him to buy the supplies, and the second is his Journeyman’s license, which permits him to then do the work!

Barry says his favorite part of the job is the people he works with. Turns out we are pretty fond of him, too! When Barry isn’t working at MSU, he works some more! He is the owner and operator of his own business, Barry Cox HVAC. Barry also enjoys hunting when he has time.

If Barry could choose to spend the day with anyone, he would choose to do so with his father, who was an inspiration to him.

Facilities Management, and the rest of campus, is very lucky to have Barry on our team! We appreciate all his hard work and dedication to our campus.

Crew Spotlight: Donnie Willoughby

Happy Wednesday! Today’s Crew Spotlight is the wonderful Donnie Willoughby, Grounds and Landscaping Manager. Donnie has been a part of the team for 15 years, and says the best part of the job is the people he works with.

Donnie says grounds and landscaping involves much more than what meets the eye. He says it is not simply mowing and weed eating. This job involves many skills and knowledge pertaining to concrete, electrical work, and much more. To be in this job, you have to know a little bit of everything. One might say Donnie is a jack of all trades!

In grounds and landscaping, it is all about first impressions! Donnie says this job involves knowing what looks good in each area to match its aesthetic. Donnie works with several different people to coordinate events going on around campus. He says they all help one another out, which makes his job more enjoyable.

When Donnie isn’t keeping campus beautiful, he enjoys fishing and spending time with his family. His wife is also an MSU employee and his daughter Chelsea graduated from MSU in 2016. Donnie’s other daughter is still trying to decided her next step. We hope she chooses to become a part of Eagle Nation, too!

MSU Facilities Management is so lucky to have Donnie as a part of our time. We, and the rest of campus, are so appreciative of all his hard work and dedication! 

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Crew Spotlight: KaiLa Conn

Happy Wednesday! Today’s Crew Spotlight is the wonderful KaiLa Conn, a member of our grounds keeping team! KaiLa graduated from Morehead State in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in Strategic Communications. Additionally, she has certification in data entry operations. She has been working for Facilities Management for a year and a half now.

KaiLa says she wanted to join Facilities Management because she wanted to work her way up and stay within the university. She has ambitions to work in adult and higher education!

When it comes to her favorite part of the job, KaiLa says it is everything! She enjoys her work, along with the physical aspect of being outdoors. KaiLa says it takes much upkeep and ambition to keep the facilities running, and that the job is not as easy as it may look! KaiLa also enjoys being a part of the essential personnel of MSU. They keep the campus operating!

When she isn’t working, KaiLa enjoys things that express her creativity! Some of her hobbies include interior decorating, painting, designing, word burning, and monogramming. In fact, she has even assisted in planning MSU’s Spring Gala!

If KaiLa could spend the day with anyone of her choosing, she would choose to do so with Janice Joplin, as she is a big fan of her music!

We are so lucky to have KaiLa as a part of our team. We appreciate all she does for Facilities Management and the University! 

Crew Spotlight: Alan Debord

This week’s Crew Spotlight is the wonderful (and very tall) Alan Debord! Alan is Lead Grounds Keeper for Facilities Management and has been working here for nearly 7 years!

 As a groundskeeper, Alan is involved in nearly every aspect of campus. Not only does the grounds team maintain campus, but are very intentional in how and where they do the things they do. For example, there is much knowledge and planning that goes into the vegetation and plant choices that are seen on campus and where these can be planted, where they will best grow, etc.

Additionally, Alan and the grounds team take care of all the athletic fields! He has many licenses that are required to do his job well, which include Class B CDL, N3, N20, 7A, and a pest control license.

Alan’s favorite part of his job is doing what he can to make campus look as best it can, which involves enhancing the environmental architecture and landscape of the university.

When he is not working for Facilities Management, Alan enjoys spending time with his family and owning and operating his own business, Debord Auto Sales. Before coming to MSU, Alan was a used car salesman, and still has his license to do so, which he utilizes in his own business!

Alan says if he could spend the day with anyone of his choosing, he would like to spend time with his grandfather.

We at Facilities Management are so grateful to have Alan as a part of our team. Thanks for all you do!

Crew Spotlight: Bob Cooper

Happy Friday! Today we have a special Crew Spotlight celebrating the retirement and career of our friend, Bob Cooper!

Bob began working for Facilities Management in 2008 as Energy Manager, and then became Manager of Facilities Information Systems in October of 2016.

Bob has dedicated his entire career to MSU. In 1980, he began his undergraduate career as an Eagle studying Industrial Technology. That same semester, he became a work study in printing services. He was then hired full-time in printing services, while still an undergraduate!  

Bob then left MSU for a while, working in San Diego and Atlanta playing music.

Bob came back home to MSU, and began working part time in the library as Computer Technician. From there, he became full time in the library as an Automation Assistant, where he was instrumental in assisting the library in their switch from the card catalog to the computer based system.

While still in the library, Bob also worked as an Automation Specialist. Following that, Bob began his work in Information Technology as a Video System Consultant, where he installed surveillance videos around campus, and worked on radio towers (found atop building around campus) for police communications. Bob then became a Network Administrator for IT.

After leaving IT, Bob went to work for IET, now known as Applied Engineering Technology, as Lab and Facilities Manager. Then, in 2008, he began working here at Facilities Management!

Bob says he chose to dedicate his career to MSU for many reasons. He enjoyed attaining his education here, and pays credit to his mentor, Dr. Ahmad Zargari, his mentor, for pushing him. Additionally, Bob says he has stayed because of the people, the camaraderie he has built with colleagues and coworkers, and the fact that he has never had a bad or unpleasant supervisor during his time here.

Bob also says working here feels like working with family.

When he isn’t working, Bob enjoys watching movie and is an avid reader. He is also a very talented and professional musician! His plans for retirement include dedicating 100% of his time to his music career. In fact, if Bob could spend the day with anyone, he would choose to do so with T-Bone Burnett.

Bob will be dearly missed by us all, but we would like to wish him the best in his retirement!