Alan Fish named vice president at Johns Hopkins University

Alan Fish, associate vice chancellor for facilities at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, has accepted the job of vice president of real estate and campus services at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

“The position at Johns Hopkins offers tremendous new opportunities and challenges,” says Fish. “I will miss my colleagues and friends here at UW–Madison, but I will always take great pride in what we’ve accomplished together in building and maintaining a world-class infrastructure here.”

Darrell Bazzell, vice chancellor for administration, says Fish’s contributions have helped reshape the campus.

“Alan has worked tirelessly to ensure that the campus develops in a way that enhances research, learning, working and living on campus and helps UW–Madison to compete internationally,” Bazzell says.

In a message to employees of Facilities, Planning and Management, Fish said: “My assignments have reached into every corner of campus life and I leave with a deep appreciation for the quality and character of our alumni, staff and students. Our work to build and maintain this great institution has been a shared passion and an absolute joy.”

At Johns Hopkins, Fish will work with partners across the university to establish common standards and achieve consistency in planning, process, approvals and contracting.

“Alan is a consensus builder, a highly effective manager and a judicious steward of university resources. He understands the important contributions the university’s facilities programs can make to the economy of our city and state. He will be an extraordinarily valuable citizen of this university and this community,” Johns Hopkins’ Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration Daniel G. Ennis said in an email message to his campus today.

Since being named associate vice chancellor in 2002, Fish has shepherded the largest UW–Madison building boom since the 1960s, one that has remade facilities across campus. During his tenure, projects valued at about $2.5 billion have been completed, are in construction or have reached the planning and design phase.

Completed projects have run the gamut from a new Microbial Sciences Building to a new Arts Lofts Warehouse development to Union South to the Ogg and Smith residence halls to the West Campus Cogeneration Facility.

Among the projects in construction are the Lakeshore Residence Hall, the Wisconsin Energy Institute, the LaBahn Arena and a renovation of the Charter Street Heating Plant. Among projects in planning and design are a new School of Nursing building and a Music Performance Facility.

His tenure also included the development and completion of a comprehensive campus master plan that will guide campus development for years to come.

Fish was also chosen by former Gov. Jim Doyle in 2009 to co-lead a state office that helped efficiently move federal stimulus money to help create Wisconsin jobs.

Fish came to the university in 1989, as administrative officer and associate athletic director for UW–Madison Division of Intercollegiate Athletics. There, he helped to improve and stabilize the division’s financial outlook and was central in planning and overseeing the construction of a number of athletic facilities, including the Kohl Center, Porter Boathouse and University Ridge golf course.

Fish plans to begin work at Johns Hopkins in early January. Bazzell expects to begin a national search for Fish’s successor soon.