FSU Facilities Hires New Maintenance Director

02/26/2024

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Florida State University Facilities is happy to announce that Joel VanRavenswaay has been selected as the Director of Facilities Maintenance. With a trades career of over three decades and over twenty years of experience in university facilities management, he will serve as a key steward of the physical systems supporting the University's teaching, learning, research, and service goals. VanRavenswaay will begin his new role on February 26th.

VanRavenswaay has been a valuable Grand Valley State University Facilities team member in Allendale, Michigan, since 2003. Over the years, he progressed from being a master electrician to a supervisor and project manager and on to the director position. In his role, VanRavenswaay managed various buildings across five campuses, including medical, laboratory, research, educational, athletic, and storage facilities. VanRavenswaay’s tenure at Grand Valley State University affords him extensive energy improvement, capital maintenance, and construction/demolition expertise.

"Joel's career trajectory gives him dynamic insight into the various trades technicians that provide maintenance, repair, energy systems and construction services for buildings and support systems on campus," said Mike Jednak, Associate Vice President for Facilities. "His tenured experience at a similar organization is a valuable asset as we aim to improve service delivery across all campuses, develop training systems for VanRavenswaay development and provide leadership though a transition period of the department. Joels skills and personality lends itself to our culture of building excellence."

At Florida State, VanRavenswaay will oversee all day-to-day maintenance, repair, and ongoing improvement of over 400 buildings and a staff of over 100 who tend to them. Reporting to the newly appointed Jednak, he will oversee in-house projects, deferred maintenance planning, preventative and planned maintenance, warehousing, and vehicles.

“My favorite thing about working in a Facilities environment is meeting different people every day and helping them succeed at their job,” said VanRavenswaay. “I am genuinely excited to begin touring all the facility mechanical spaces, and to begin my time at FSU. Both my wife and I are extremely excited about my opportunity.”

VanRavenswaay began his career in the trades as an apprentice and journeyman electrician for Toering Electric in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He then served as a service and construction Master electrician for Rohr Gasoline Equipment in Byron Center, Michigan. VanRavenswaay then earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from Grand Valley State University and continues to retain his Master Electrician License from the state of Michigan.