Executive Director's Staff

Headshot of Facilities Services Director, Darren Hale

Executive Director's Office

Darren Hale
Executive Director, Facilities Services  
darren.hale@austin.utexas.edu

Darren has worked at The University of Texas at Austin since retiring from the Navy in 2017. For the last seven years he has been the Executive Director of Facilities Services where he leads nearly 700 team members who clean and maintain facilities as well as provide other related services. He also served as an interim Associate Vice President on two different occasions. Before joining UT, he served in the United States Navy for 21 years in several capacities, providing leadership for facilities operations, maintenance, and capital investment projects at various U.S. bases throughout the world. He also oversaw the construction program to rebuild infrastructure for the Afghan armed forces. Darren is a Professional Engineer with a Master’s Degree in civil engineering from UT and a Bachelor’s Degree in civil engineering and mathematics from Vanderbilt University.

Executive Director's Leadership Team

Facilities Services Organizational Charts

Contact

Facilities Services Executive Director's Office 
Phone: 512-471-4110 
Fax: 512-471-7739 
FSDirectorsOffice@austin.utexas.edu

Portrait of Bridget Blizzard

Campus Support Services (CSS)

Bridget Blizzard 
Director, Campus Support Services  
bridget.blizzard@austin.utexas.edu

Bridget has more than 31 years in design, construction, and facilities services experience, with 17 of those years in facilities management. In addition to her responsibilities as director, Bridget serves as the department’s emergency operations officer and special projects liaison. Prior to joining Facilities Services, she worked for Phillips Petroleum, Oregon Health & Science University, Matrix Architects Engineers Planners, Inc., and for the Houston Zoo as director of facilities. She brings a unique combination of experience from the manual drawing board to hurricane preparation for nearly six thousand animals. Bridget holds a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in anthropology from the University of Oregon and an Associate in Applied Science degree in drafting and design technology from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College.

CSS Leadership Team

Ben Triplett portrait, Custodial Services Director

Custodial Services (CS)

Ben Triplett 
Director, Custodial Services  
benjamin.triplett@austin.utexas.edu

Ben brings 23 years of experience in custodial and commercial cleaning. Prior to joining Facilities Services, he held the position of the director of custodial services at Washington State University for nearly five years. Before that he was the assistant director of housing at the University of North Carolina for more than four years, and the assistant director for main campus at East Carolina University for over six years. He has also served as a maintenance manager for Wal-Mart for more than three years and as owner and president of Omega Maintenance Services for five years. Ben earned his Bachelor of Arts in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Ben is a graduate of the APPA Leadership Academy. He also was the recipient of the 2020 Washington State University President's Award for Health & Safety.

CS Leadership Team

Photograph of a man wearing a black suit jacket, light blue dress shirt, and patterned tie with orange, black, and white colors. The background is softly blurred, focusing attention on the formal attire.

Facilities Operations & Maintenance (FOM)

Doug Gilpin 
Director, Facilities Operations & Maintenance 
Douglas.Gilpin@austin.utexas.edu

Doug has 33 years of experience in facilities operations, engineering, and construction. Most recently, he served as director of Construction Operations in UT’s Planning, Design and Construction (PDC) department for four years. Previously, he was associate director for Construction Services for two years. Before joining UT in 2019, Doug served 26 years in the U.S. Air Force as a civil engineer. Doug is a licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.) and a Certified Educational Facilities Professional (CEFP). He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Society of American Military Engineers. He holds a Master of Science degree in engineering and environmental management from the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy. 

FOM Leadership Team

Headshot of Assistant Director of Facilities Services Support, Debra DiMeo

Facilities Services Support (FSS)

Debra DiMeo 
Associate Director, Facilities Services Support 
debra.dimeo@austin.utexas.edu

Debra brings over 36 years of experience in management and customer service. She joined UT Austin in Facilities Services in 2011 and began work on planning and organizing the department’s Facilities Service Center (FSC), which launched successfully in September 2013. Prior to UT, Debra worked for United Airlines for 31 years. During her time with the airline, she was the general manager of the 24/7-based Airport Operations in Austin. Her responsibilities involved oversight of more than 50 customer service representatives and management of the facility’s $2.2 million budget. She created cost-efficient work schedules and analyzed various metrics to ensure all operational and customer service goals were met or exceeded. She also standardized procedures to improve worker safety and efficiency.

FSS Leadership Team

Photograph of a person with curly hair wearing a dark red sweater and two necklaces, one with an infinity symbol and the other with a small rectangular pendant. The background is softly blurred with neutral tones.

Facilities Services Director's Office

April Hamilton
Operations Support Manager, Facilities Services
ahamilton@austin.utexas.edu

April has 12 years of experience in administration and operations. Before joining us, she provided executive assistance and operations support for the Vice President of Operations portfolio. Prior to that, she was a special assistant to the Office of the President at the University of DC, an administrative projects and operations manager at UT Austin’s LBJ School of Public Affairs, and a defense contractor for the U.S. Air Force. April holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from The University of Texas at San Antonio. She also received the inaugural LBJ Outstanding Staff Service Award in 2022.

FS Director's Office Team

Headshot of Facilities Services Finance Manager, Quentin Rodriguez

Facilities Services Finance

Quentin Rodriguez 
Assistant Director
quentin.rodriguez@austin.utexas.edu

Quentin has more than 16 years of experience in accounting and financial management. Prior to joining Facilities Services, he worked in UT Austin’s Accounting and Financial Management for three years providing accounting and financial management support to Information Technology Services (ITS). Prior to UT, he was a contracts and grants manager for a non-profit, Caritas of Austin, for two years. Before that, he worked for Goodwill Central Texas for over 11 years, the last four of those years as director of financial analysis. He also worked for the federal government for 11 years prior to completing his formal education. Quentin holds an MBA from Cornell University and earned his bachelor’s degree in economics, minor in finance, from New Mexico State University.

Finance Team