Facility Rockstars | Orchestrating Success: Gretchen Catlin on Leadership, Innovation, and Lobstering

Orchestrating Success: Gretchen Catlin on Leadership, Innovation, and Lobstering

May 8, 2025 / 42:36/E61

Gretchen Catlin, a seasoned compliance consultant and healthcare operations expert, is currently serving as the Chief Facilities and General Services Officer at the University of Maine System. Gretchen discusses her leadership journey and her role in managing seven campuses with over nine million square feet. She emphasizes the importance of team collaboration, safety, and compliance while sharing insights into innovative strategies like energy savings contracts and AI for standard operating procedures. Additionally, Gretchen offers a unique perspective on balancing her professional life with her personal passion for lobstering, detailing her family's involvement and advancements in ropeless lobster traps to protect marine life.

Takeaways:

Role as a Conductor: Enrich leadership strategies by fostering teamwork and synchronized efforts among all departments, viewing your role as ensuring the entire team works together seamlessly.
Regular Check-ins and Meetings: Schedule frequent check-ins with your team, including one-on-one meetings and regular group sessions, to promote transparency, share best practices, and address any issues promptly.
Supporting Each Other as a Team: Encourage a culture of mutual support within your organization to enhance overall performance and resource management, enabling departments to function optimally.
Leveraging Energy Savings Contracts (ESCOs): Explore and implement ESCO projects to achieve energy efficiency and fund maintenance projects through the savings achieved, reducing the need to increase debt capacity.
Utilizing Artificial Intelligence: Integrate AI tools into daily operations to streamline processes, automate routine tasks, and enhance research capabilities, making work more efficient and less labor-intensive.
Innovative Funding Models: Consider non-traditional funding models to address budget constraints and finance critical projects efficiently, exploring all viable financial strategies.
Deep Research and Prompt Engineering in AI: Train your team in prompt engineering for AI tools to maximize research efficiency and accuracy, ensuring high-quality data for informed decision-making.

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