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.