October 2022 - Colleges & Universities Luncheon
Presentation File & Attendee List
Presentation File
Attendee List
Our Speakers
Georgetown University
Katherine Williams, NOMA, AIA, LEED AP - Assistant Director of Capital Projects
Orlando Jones, Director of Strategic Sourcing
(Bio pending)Kevin Tucker - Director, Engineering and Utilities
Howard University
Derrek Niec-Williams - Executive Director for Campus Planning, Architecture & Development
Mr. Niec-Williams’ international upbringing via the United States Diplomatic Corps provided exposure to a diverse range of cultures, languages, religions, and educational settings. The cumulative impact of these experiences imbued an acute sensitivity to the importance of learning environments and their responsiveness to contextual factors.
Mr. Niec-Williams has served as designated owner’s representative and program manager responsible for the planning, design and construction of various real estate development project typologies throughout his career. This breadth of experience spans the educational continuum to include public, public charter, and independent k-12 institutions, higher education, private, and municipal clients. His portfolio of experience also reflects a broad range of projects which have traversed the development spectrum from early planning through implementation and occupancy/operations.
His work with educational administrators has proven him a diligent and methodical process manager able to steer strategic thinking into tangible initiatives, then catalyze implementation plans resulting in physical solutions that maximize the value of investments. A proud Howard University alumnus, Mr. Niec-Williams is honored to serve his alma mater as the Executive Director for Campus Planning, Architecture & Development, helping to manage a +256-acre portfolio valued above $2B.
He is employed as the Chief Engineer for WSSC Water responsible for a budget of over $580 million, over 370 employees, and approximately 100 contract employees. He was a past WSSC Water Regulatory Services Division Manager and their Development Services Division for many years. During his stay at Regulatory Services he managed the Pretreatment, FOG, Cross Connection, and Plumbing Design Reviews/ Inspections Programs. In the Development Services Division, he was responsible for permitting, hydraulic capacity, pump station and water/ sewer extension design reviews, and various aspects of the development process producing numerous Customer Service improvements. Prior to WSSC Water, he worked for New Castle County where he worked in Engineering and Operations. He managed the County $300 million Brandywine Hundred Sewer Rehabilitation Program removing excessive I/I, was recognized for ideas in energy savings, and was selected as the State of Delaware Government Engineer of the Year. He has designed or led the design on several design and build projects. His engineering expertise is augmented with his extensive field experience gained while working with his tools and operating heavy machinery in industrial and site/environmental construction.
George Mason University
Alex Iszard, PE - Associate Vice President of Planning, Design and Construction
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Alex Iszard is the Associate Vice President of Planning, Design and Construction within Facilities at George Mason University. Alex manages the office to include: implementation of capital and non-capital projects, project management, project inspection, graphic design, major maintenance projects, and interior design. Alex has been associated with Mason for more than 19 years, first as a student, then as a student intern, and for the last 14 years as an employee.
Alex received both his Bachelors (2008) and Masters (2010) of Science in Civil Engineering from George Mason. During his undergraduate time Alex also served in the Facilities Internship Program where he worked assisting Project Managers and Engineers. Following his graduation in 2008, Alex was hired in Facilities as a Project Engineer, a Project Manager, a Senior Project Manager, and was promoted to Director, Contracts and Capital Finance in 2016. Prior this current position, Alex also served as AVP, Business Services for Facilities. He was instrumental in standardizing construction procurement and project management by authoring a Manual and leading in the implementation of a web-based project management software. He also personally managed the addition of 550 thousand square feet of new space valued at over $250 million. His diverse construction management experiences include academic, health care, parking decks, laboratory, athletic, and utility infrastructure projects. Alex also holds his Professional Engineer License (Civil) in Virginia and is a Virginia Construction Contracting Officer.
University of Maryland at College Park
Bill Olen - Executive Director, Planning and Construction
Over thirty years of experience and documented success in facility planning, design, and construction management.
Providing executive leadership to six units in the Department of Planning & Construction; which has a combined workforce of 120 professional employees.
Director of the College Park Service Center which manages the design and construction of projects greater than one million dollars at seven of the eleven institutions in the University System of Maryland (USM).
Chair of the university’s Architectural and Landscape Review Board (ALRB) which is comprised of industry professionals and university staff who review new projects or modifications to existing buildings at the flagship campus.
The department’s current workload exceeds 2.8 billion dollars