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Dear Infrastructure and Sustainability team,

I’m excited about the work being done in our organization in the wake of the release of the campus engagement survey results. My hope is that by now everyone has had an opportunity to read through the results for the Infrastructure and Sustainability organization. The survey highlighted several areas where our team is well-engaged and others where we can do better.

Based on initial focus group results, three specific areas of recommended focus have been identified:Ìý

Develop an internal communications strategy.
Renew the focus on employee training and development.
Create a culture of innovation within I&S.

Our staff want to feel connected to the decision-making process, with a particular emphasis on in-person communication with leadership. They want opportunities for promotion and professional growth, as well as stability in leadership. And they want an organizational culture that doesn’t just talk the talk about encouraging innovation but that backs it up by using failure as a learning experience so that employees aren’t afraid to take risks to improve upon established processes or ways of thinking.Ìý

Our VCIS areas of focus align well with those identified at the campus level and with those of Senior Vice Chancellor and CFO Kelly Fox’s Strategic Resources and Support organization. These areas of focus also fit well within our VCIS Strategic Plan, where employee empowerment is a core value and developing a healthy organizational culture is one of our key strategic goals.

Analyzing the results and identifying areas where we can improve is only the beginning. There is plenty more work to come. I want to thank Nancy Portner and Tim Golden for facilitating the first round of focus groups. They will continue soliciting feedback from additional groups, including Facilities Operations and Services, to flesh out key points of emphasis in these areas of focus. Subsequently, we will continue to engage staff as we create a plan for addressing our objectives that allows us to continually measure success, track engagement levels and ensure that we’re making progress.Ìý

I appreciate the efforts of everyone who has participated in the survey and focus groups so far and look forward to working with you all to create solutions that help our employees thrive and feel connected to the VCIS organization, as well as the mission of the university as a whole.

Sincerely,
David Kang, vice chancellor for Infrastructure and Sustainability

How long have you been working for CU?
Including my time as a student worker, it’s been nearly 11 years!ÌýI’m celebrating my one-year anniversary in Planning, Design and Construction this month.Ìý

What is your favorite thing to do outside of work?
I love to ski.ÌýWhen the snow is gone, I grow food for my friends and family. I have a 400-square-foot community garden plot. I grow garlic, shallots, basil, tomatoes, peppers, spinach, lettuce, cilantro, peas, chard, kale, squash, pumpkins, zucchini, cucumbers, beets, carrots, zinnias, raspberriesÌýand chives. There’s even a butterfly bush for the pollinators! This year, I hope to plein air paint in my garden. The colors are spectacular!
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Tell us something that might surprise us about you. Ìý
I’m from a small, mountain town in Colorado, but in 2007 moved to New Zealand to follow a dream.ÌýI went solo with only a backpack, digital SLRÌýand a working visa. I fell in love with the ocean, got certified in scuba diving, worked on a vineyard, skydived, and made amazing friends.

What has been the most important innovation you have witnessed in your lifetime? Ìý
The smart phone cameraÌý(not the most important, but pretty awesome).ÌýIn college, I remember spending hours in the photography studio and darkroom to get the perfect photo. It’s so easy now!

What three traits define you?
Positive,Ìýresourceful, grateful.