Articles
An Inspirational Journey of Kimberly Thomas from the University of Georgia
Categories: ISSA Member Spotlight, Straight Talk!
By Jeff Cross | December 7, 2022 << Back to Articles
Kimberly Thomas, MPA, CEFP, has spent decades in the facilities management industry. She recently retired from the University of Georgia where she had a long and illustrious career as senior director of services, facilities management.
In this edition of Straight Talk!, Thomas shares her inspirational journey with ISSA Media Director Jeff Cross. She highlights her nontraditional path to a nontraditional industry that saw her getting her start in the university’s police department. Thomas levied the tools she picked up in law enforcement—such as emergency management skills and dealing with the public—to give her the confidence to work with all types of people and eventually culminate in a successful career in facility management.
By committing to the motto of “I’m working to find my replacement,” Thomas motivated herself and kept her staff of eventually hundreds motivated. She attributes a portion of her success to understanding how to communicate across lines in an effective manner, both face-to-face and in written communication.
Thomas and Cross also discuss how ISSA had an impact on her role at University of Georgia. She credits ISSA for keeping her current on such things as legislation and regulations so she could properly prepare her administration to be in compliance with the latest mandates while staying conscious of health and safety of stakeholders. In addition, the ISSA Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) not only helped her staff deliver consistent, professional services, it inspired a sense of pride.
Watch or listen to the complete episode below and find out more on the people and organizations that influenced Thomas as well as what she has planned for the next stage in her life. You can also download an MP3 of the episode here.
About the Author.
Jeff Cross is the ISSA media director, with media brands that include ISSA Today, Cleaning & Maintenance Management, and Cleanfax. He can be reached at [email protected] or 740-973-4236.
