Bruce Nevel to lead ASU Facilities Development and Management
Bruce Nevel has been named associate vice president for Facilities Development and Management (FDM) at Arizona State University. Morgan R. Olsen, ASU’s executive vice president, treasurer and chief financial officer, announced Nevel’s appointment on May 7.
A career naval officer with 25 years of leadership experience in facilities management, engineering operations and acquisition, Nevel is a registered professional engineer and certified energy manager.
Nevel will join ASU in August 2014 from the U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest in San Diego, Calif., where he serves as the chief operating officer. Nevel’s scope of responsibility there includes capital improvements, asset management, public works, energy management and environmental services, valued at $3 billion annually. He directs a 60-officer team and 3,200 civilian personnel in support of 18 major Navy and Marine Corps installations.
“Bruce Nevel’s background includes managing multiple, simultaneous, high-value projects and operations spanning public works, construction, facilities management and contract administration,” Olsen said. “His wealth of knowledge and expertise make him the ideal leader for the university’s multifaceted facilities management and development activities.”
Nevel’s educational background includes the Columbia University Graduate School of Business executive education program, a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Florida and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Tufts University.
"ASU was attractive to me because my years of managing construction projects and leading facilities management organizations for the Navy has a lot of similarity to leading a facilities management organization for a university," Nevel said. “After meeting Dr. Olsen and the ASU Business and Finance department leaders, I’m even more confident that I made the right choice to become a Sun Devil and to help shape the future of facilities management at Arizona State."
Prior to his current assignment in San Diego, Nevel’s naval career took him from Maine to California, and Hawaii to Florida. His early focus was facilities management. He then moved to construction management for the U.S. Navy and Marines. He was in charge of construction totaling $300 million annually at the U.S. Marine Corps Base in Camp Pendleton, Calif. Nevel has also worked overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a battalion commander, he and his team built forward-operating bases in Afghanistan that supported military efforts during 2009-2010.
In his new role as ASU’s chief facilities officer, Nevel will manage multiple service agreements and lead more than 400 employees who work in various FDM departments, including:
• the Office of the University Architect
• Capital Programs Management Group
• Facilities Management
• Administrative Services and Business Operations
At each ASU campus, Facilities Development and Management is responsible for facilities, infrastructure and grounds, including the management, planning, design, construction, renovation, maintenance and repair of all university-owned property, totaling more than 19 million gross square feet of space in six physical locations.
“I am confident with his broad experience leading large numbers of people and managing sizeable, complex budgets, Bruce Nevel will ably lead Facilities Development and Management in support of ASU’s goals and mission,” Olsen said. “We are delighted to have him join our Business and Finance team.”
Visit cfo.asu.edu to learn more about the office of ASU Business and Finance.