New director will oversee campus construction

Christopher (Kip) McMahan has been selected as the new executive director of facility planning and delivery (formerly director of capital planning and development) in Facilities Planning & Management.

McMahan brings more than 30 years of planning, design and project management experience to UW–Madison. He was most recently director of campus planning and design and university architect at the University of Rhode Island. Previously, he was a principal architect with architecture firms in New England and New York, where he provided design direction for numerous higher education and large-scale commercial real estate projects.

McMahan holds bachelor’s degrees in both fine arts and architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design. He is a registered architect in the state of Rhode Island, a LEED Accredited Professional BD+C, as well as a member of the American Institute of Architects, Association of University Architects and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards.

“I am excited to have Kip join the FP&M leadership team,” says Associate Vice Chancellor David Darling. “He brings a wide breadth of planning leadership experience from both the commercial and higher education sectors, which will help FP&M transform and improve UW–Madison’s facilities planning and delivery processes.”

The executive director for facility planning and delivery is responsible for leading the planning, design and construction of new buildings, as well as additions and modifications to existing buildings and landscapes. The position supervises and coordinates the long-range planning, project programming, cost estimating, staff and technical assistance required to develop and implement the more than $100 million biennial capital budget.

McMahan believes this position is a matter of stewardship and design leadership. “The UW–Madison campus is an interrelated series of landmark environments, with meaningful places, terrific architecture and beautiful open spaces. I look forward to working with the FP&M team to prioritize the capital planning process and to promote design advocacy.”

McMahan started work on June 25. He succeeds Stu LaRose and Pete Heaslett, both of whom served as interim director of capital planning and development since Dan Okoli’s departure in January 2017. LaRose will continue to serve as interim university architect during this transition period. Heaslett left the university in May.