JD Long, a project director with St. Louis-based Alberici Construction, will join Washington University in St. Louis Oct. 10 as associate vice chancellor for facilities planning & management, Henry S. Webber, executive vice chancellor for administration, has announced.
Long replaces Arthur J. Ackermann, who has held key leadership roles in the university facilities operation since 2006. Ackerman is stepping down to deal with a medical condition.
“Art has been an outstanding associate vice chancellor, and has developed a world-class facilities planning and management team,” Webber said. “We will be scheduling an event to honor Art’s leadership at the university within the next month. Art’s departure will be a significant loss for the university and for those of us who consider Art a personal friend.”
During his professional career, Long has been responsible for operational oversight of capital improvement efforts exceeding $1 billion dollars. His responsibilities have included project planning, procurement, design management, construction and facilities integration.
A project director with Alberici since 2005, Long has been intimately involved in the leadership of a half-dozen major construction projects at Washington University and affiliated campuses. In his new role with the university, Long will play a major role in shepherding construction of the university’s planned east end project.
“JD has shown exceptionally strong leadership skills in his management of major construction projects that Alberici has undertaken on behalf of the university,” Webber said. “He’s shown a great deal of skill in building teamwork and a positive culture among all the internal and external contributors who play key roles in bringing these massive projects to successful completion.”
James Kolker, associate vice chancellor and university architect, has worked closely with Long on some of the university’s most significant recent construction projects. He describes him as “a consummate collaborator and trusted partner.”
“His ability to work so well in our university context, with key academic leaders, faculty, staff, design, construction and facilities colleagues, assures us that he will be a successful addition to our campus community,” Kolker said. “Art Ackermann’s far-reaching impact on our campus has been significant, and JD Long has the proven ability to continue that trajectory.”
Highlights of Long’s project work with Washington University include the $62 million renovation of two existing buildings and the construction of Hillman Hall for the Brown School; the $20.8 million renovation of Olin Library; and the multimillion-dollar renovations of several of the university’s oldest and most historic buildings: Umrath, Givens and Bixby halls.
Edward Lawlor, the William E. Gordon Distinguished Professor and former dean of the Brown School, worked closely with Long during the construction of Hillman Hall. He attributes much of the success of the project to Long’s leadership.
“Working with JD was my personal education in the best of facilities leadership and expertise,” Lawlor said. “He was so knowledgeable, accessible and thoughtful. I was especially impressed by his ability to work with the whole spectrum of our Brown School community — faculty, students and community members.
“He obviously has extraordinary experience and knowledge of design and construction, but more importantly, he has a unique ability to foster collaboration and problem-solving across all the disciplines and constituencies involved in complex building projects. I am excited that he will be coming over to the university as we take our next big facilities challenges.”
With big campus construction projects on the horizon, Long is looking forward to his next big challenge.
“Through my experience at the Washington University campus, I understand the significance of the current building programs and the importance of their successful execution,” Long said. “I look forward to joining the facilities team as we head into an exciting new phase of construction on the east end of the Danforth Campus.”
Comments and respectful dialogue are encouraged, but content will be moderated. Please, no personal attacks, obscenity or profanity, selling of commercial products, or endorsements of political candidates or positions. We reserve the right to remove any inappropriate comments. We also cannot address individual medical concerns or provide medical advice in this forum.