In his first four months on the job, new Facilities Management Director Carlo Colella has been faced with a series of unusual events, including an earthquake, a hurricane and a chemistry building explosion — just to name a few.

Colella, who previously served as director of Capital Projects at this university, was first appointed to his new role on July 1 but has spent the last few months transitioning in for former Director Frank Brewer, who held that position for 13 years. Soon after his appointment, Colella faced intense on-the-job training, including the release of a report detailing staff abuse incidents in his department and others across the campus.

Although it’s proven to be an exceptionally challenging first few months on the job, Colella said it has also provided him with valuable learning experience in a short period of time.

“In addition to what’s been anticipated, we’ve had an earthquake, we’ve had a hurricane, we’ve had a tornado warning and a chemical explosion,” Colella said. “We’ve had a lot of unexpected events … and I think we’ve done well in responding to think we’ve done well in responding to that.”

But Colella said one of the most important issues he will address is the allegations of employee abuse in Facilities Management, which surfaced last semester from an anonymous letter referring to the department as a “Nazi camp” and a “plantation.” He said he hopes to improve relations between staff and supervisors and foster “civility and respect” in the workplace.

“They shouldn’t feel that way, and if they don’t feel comfortable in that environment, we want to make sure that they can speak,” Colella said.

University Provost Ann Wylie said encouraging an open dialogue between managers and employees — and ensuring university staff members feel comfortable coming forward with concerns — is a crucial aspect of Colella’s job.

“The most important thing that [Colella] can do is let the staff know that they can bring any complaints that they have forward, and that they should not fear retaliation,” Wylie said.

Although Colella led projects and building construction costing more than $1 million in his former role, he said he has become more accustomed to overseeing building and infrastructure upkeep as Facilities Management director.

“Facilities Management plays a critical role in making sure that our facilities, our infrastructure can support our academic mission,” Colella said. “It’s a big job just to keep it running well and looking good. … It’s our job.”

Part of that upkeep includes grappling with a $750 million deferred maintenance backlog — a list of projects that currently do not have adequate funding — and to continue lobbying with state legislators for more funding.

“It’s a huge challenge, and part of our responsibility is to make really good decisions with resources we do have already, but also advocate for enhanced investments in keeping those resources working,” Colella said. “When we look at a three-quarter-of-a-billion dollar backlog, you’re not going to get all the way there, but we’re much closer.”

But Colella also said he hopes to simultaneously improve and update the campus by creating laboratories to attract top researchers and faculty and state-of-the-art learning facilities.

“It’s real exciting to be a part of it and to do Facilities Management’s part to support the campus so we can continue its rise to be one of the top research universities,” Colella said. “I feel like we’ve got a great group, a beautiful campus.”

While Colella has many challenges ahead of him, Brewer said he possesses all the qualities needed to be a successful director.

“I thought he was the best person for the job,” Brewer said. “He had the right experience and training and temperament, initiative and energy — all the right things.”

And although Brewer may not be around the campus as frequently, Colella said he will continue to abide by his words of advice for a successful tenure.

“[He told me] ‘remember that we’re always here to serve the campus,'” Colella said. “[He said] to think about what serves the campus best in the long run.”

foley@umdbk.com