Monitoring the day-to-day operations at Southeast can be a big job. Running them, well that’s another story.
For Angela Meyer, Director of Facilities Management, taking care of the university's operations is a passion and a career.
Meyer has worked for Southeast since 2001 when she was hired as Project Manager for the ARTeam (Academic Remodeling Team) she planned, designed, constructed and helped budget different university projects.
“I worked very closely with the campus community, specifically the Provost and faculty, to plan, budget and prioritize academic remodeling projects.” Meyer said.
Before coming to Southeast, Meyer worked in the private sector as a designer and construction manager for various projects. She has 21 years of industry experience and 10 years of supervisory experience.
She graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a bachelor’s of science in Architecture Studies, during her time in college she studied abroad where she lived in Versailles, France for nine months. Meyer also visited 10 countries when she was in studying in France.
Since being at Southeast, Meyer has also cultivated her job experience.
“At Southeast my experience is well-rounded, working in both project management and administration.” Meyer said. “I have worked with architects, engineers and interior designers who were hired by Southeast Missouri State University, and I have worked closely with faculty and staff to plan, design and implement construction projects across campus.”
Meyer was promoted to Director of Facilities Management in January 2010. During her time as Director a number of projects have been completed including the historic renovation of Academic Hall, renovation and addition to Magill Hall of Science, along with the construction of two new residences halls.
Meyer even oversaw the conversion of the power plant operating from coal to natural gas.
Working at Facilities Management is a year round commitment, working in the summer to complete construction projects and preparing for the new year to work orders being filled throughout the school year. Meyer said tasks include planning what Facilities Management is going to work on for the next year.
Even with a job as big as hers, Meyer finds time for her family and is looking forward to a trip to Disney World with her family this summer.
She’s a success beyond the walls of Southeast as well was recently named the first female president of CAPPA (Central Association of Physical Plant Administrators) which is made up of Several U.S. states as well as Canadian Provinces and a Mexican Territory.
As if all that weren’t enough, she’s also in charge of the hiring process. The most important thing Meyer said when looking for an employee is to have people skills.
“A lot of it is just personality and how they problem solve, it’s very hard to actually look for leadership quality, when interviewing your looking for how they interact with you, how they engage in conversation.” Meyer said.
Meyer’s leadership style is firm but fair, she is honest, loyal and gives credit where credit is due.
“I hold people accountable,and I expect them to do the same with me.” Meyer said.
There are times that the job can be challenging Meyer said but she continues everyday making each day count and improving herself.
“There is never a dull moment and really no down time which can create problems when you just need to sit and think! And, I’m not going to lie, there are days when I head to my car in the evening and wonder…..what in the world am I doing, have I even made a difference today?” Meyer said. “My faith, on many days, is what gets me through.”
Meyer wants students and faculty to know that there can be a lot of work that needs to be done and many people may not understand the time or effort it takes to complete some tasks.
“What a lot of people may not understand about Facilities Management is at least on this campus, we have a lot of maintenance work that needs to be done” Meyer said. “If you see a piece of trash across campus take the time to pick it up. I think it’s about working as a team and the students can be just as helpful for us as we can be for them.”
