For nearly a decade, Kevin Bellido has been at the heart of the UC Davis Department of Animal Science’s Avian Research & Teaching Facility, where he serves as Facility Manager. His journey began as an undergraduate working in both the Avian Facility and the Young Hall Animal Facility, and over the years, his role has grown into one that combines animal care, education, and community outreach.
This month’s Facilities Management (FM) Staff Spotlight shines on a familiar face with deep roots in the UC Davis landscape—both literally and figuratively. Meet Mario Casanova, our Landscape Superintendent, whose journey from student employee to leadership role highlights a true commitment to campus and community.
When people think about facilities management, they often imagine custodians, tradespeople, or technicians working hands-on to keep the campus running smoothly. But behind the scenes, there’s a small yet mighty team coordinating details that make custodial operations possible. At UC Davis, that team is composed of just two members: Elizabeth (Liz) Spurr and Ashley Amaro.
We’d like to introduce one of our amazing student interns at the Arboretum and Public Garden sector of Facilities Management, Brisny Argueta Balan! Brisny is a first year Civil Engineering major and has been an Arboretum Ambassador Intern since October. Arboretum Ambassador interns are students in the Learning by Leading program that assist with campus stewardship and outreach responsibilities for the Arboretum and Public Garden.
We are thrilled to feature Shelby Sopocy, Animal Care Supervisor 1 and Manager of the Swine Teaching, Research, and Outreach Facility, as one of our phenomenal customers at UC Davis Facilities Management! Shelby has been a part of the UC Davis community for the past four years, bringing with her a strong background in the commercial swine industry.
James Mosqueda joined Custodial & Waste Management as our Operations Manager of Recharge and Events on March 6, and he’s already making a big impact. We recently sat down with James to learn more about his role and his experience with being part of Facilities Management (FM)!
We’d like to introduce one of our dedicated team members from the Building Maintenance Services sector of Facilities Management (FM): Don Petty, Electrician for Construction! With an incredible 27 years of experience at UC Davis, Don has played a vital role in keeping our campus powered, safe, and adaptable to the needs of our ever-changing community.
At UC Davis, the beauty and health of the trees that provide shade and foliage doesn’t happen just by chance—it’s the result of careful stewardship by our dedicated and highly skilled Tree Team. We sat down with Tree Team Supervisor Justin Morejohn to learn more about the work that goes into keeping our campus green and growing.
We are excited to feature Carlee Gnos as one of our new Associate HR Business Partners who helps support the work we do here at Facilities Management. Carlee started working with UC Davis this past December!
Introducing Nathan Plitt, our new supervisor of Plumbing Projects and Fire Protection. Nathan has worked with Facilities Management (FM) for 2 years and previously worked as a plumber with FM!
