Darling to lead facilities planning and management unit

David Darling, director of the Facilities Management and Operations Center for Sandia National Laboratories, has been named associate vice chancellor for facilities planning and management at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He will start his new role August 15.

Darling has more than 25 years of experience in managing facilities and infrastructure operations, real estate, physical security, industrial safety, construction and other areas.

At Sandia, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, he directed all aspects of real estate, facilities, maintenance, construction and long-range and master planning for a major national research laboratory.

“David will be a great fit for this important campus leadership position,” says Laurent Heller, vice chancellor for finance and administration. “He will provide the leadership and strategic vision we need in the area of facilities management and in support of the university’s mission.”

As associate vice chancellor for facilities planning and management (FP&M), Darling will oversee the full spectrum of UW–Madison’s facilities management activities, including campus master planning, capital budgeting, facilities project design and construction, environmental health and safety, transportation services and space management.

“I very much appreciate the opportunity to serve a world-class public research university like the University of Wisconsin–Madison,” Darling says. “I look forward to working with Chancellor Blank, Vice Chancellor Heller, the excellent staff at Facilities Planning and Management, and campus and community partners.”

Heller says he is grateful to Margaret Tennessen, interim associate vice chancellor for FP&M, for the excellent leadership she has provided while serving in the interim role.

Before joining Sandia National Laboratories, Darling was senior director of corporate infrastructure services at Fujitsu Network Communications in Richardson, Texas, where he was the first facilities employee and helped build a start-up into an international high-tech manufacturing and engineering company.

Darling received his master of business administration degree at the University of Texas at Dallas Naveen Jindal School of Management and his bachelor of science in mechanical engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington.

Darling will succeed Bill Elvey, who left UW–Madison in October 2016 to become senior vice president of Children’s Health System of Texas.

A 12-member search and screen committee of faculty, staff, students and community members recommended finalists for the facilities position to Heller. Mark Markel, dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine, chaired the committee.