Texas Tech University
The Association of Physical Plant Administrators (APPA) is for facility professionals across the country that brings together resources, learning programs and network opportunities to help grow the facilities industry. Senior Associate Managing Director Sharon Rhodes and Program Manager Marla Childers, from the Operations Employee Success Center (ESC), shared speaker credits for their two presentations during the Spring 2025 conference in New Orleans.
“Membership Matters: Building Bridges in Higher Education Operations” highlighted Texas Tech Operations’ innovative approach to workforce development, showcasing how strategic partnerships with local technical education programs create a sustainable pipeline of skilled trades professionals for higher education facilities.
“Recruit, Develop, Succeed: Leveraging Local Education to Build Texas Tech Operations Workforce” explored the transformative power of mentoring in higher education operations, providing a step-by-step framework to develop tailored programs that enhance workplace culture, employee engagement and long-term organizational success.
“We have found that the recruitment, onboarding and retention challenges, specifically in higher education facilities, are a shared issue amongst several institutions,” Rhodes said. “We felt that the successes we experienced in our most recent recruitment and mentorship initiatives must be shared with our APPA partners so they may develop and implement their own successful staffing development strategies.”