As director of student life maintenance, Abby Wood brings a lot of practical expertise to managing the everyday fixes and major overhauls for the 19 buildings her team manages.

Wood and her team of employees check off 10,000-12,000 work orders per year — everything from a burnt out light bulb in the Upper Class Complex residence hall to a full chiller replacement in the Student Union. And that’s on top of managing major upgrades, like the $2.3 million fire suppression project in Tonopah residence hall during summer 2023. 

But there’s been nothing quite like the work they faced immediately following Dec. 6. The campus shooting left the Student Union heavily damaged, and Wood’s 30-member team went right to work to help with the recovery process. “It was so surreal to see all the damage," Wood said about the initial walkthrough of the Union on Dec. 7. "But, also the spaces where laptops were left open near food that had just been ordered, along with the quietness of the building to hear the water left running in Jamba Juice."

Wood and her team formulated their plan of action, taking photos to document the damage and immediately calling vendors for replacement materials. While many faculty and staff worked remotely until the spring semester began, the student life maintenance teams were on campus fixing repairs to the buildings. 

Supporting Physical Spaces and Mental Well-being

As the team took care of the physical damage, Wood was also attuned to their mental well-being of both her staff and the students they serve. 

“I know that a team can’t work if they’re not well, and that includes their mental health. We had to make sure we supported each other with resources and spaces to talk, but also think about the students and parents we have relationships with, and reassure them of resources and campus life,” Wood said.

For that, she drew upon her academic training. She is also a doctoral student in public health, with a focus on social and behavioral health. 

As a leader, Wood said she strives to put her people first, which has led to a supported team that has not seen any turnover since beginning her role in June 2022. She has also grown her team recently with the addition of three new employees. 

“We are very passionate about what we do, because we realize we are in students' homes — where they live and play for months at a time. And usually when we show up, it’s because something needs to be fixed,” Wood said.

It’s a 24/7, 365 days/year job to make sure the student life buildings are functioning. And while many on campus might expect her team’s work to slow down after spring commencement, Wood said the team has roughly three weeks to inspect, repair, and transform more than 1,000 residence hall rooms for conference housing. Another part of campus life behind the scenes that mostly goes unnoticed. 

“They are an amazing group of people and together we make miracles happen,” Wood said. “I love working with the students and residents. Being able to assist them and interact with them is such an amazing experience. They really do bring life to the campus, and the fast-paced environment of student life maintenance is where I thrive."