Paul Brown Joins CPO
Nancy Pryor

Once in a great while an opportunity begins to crystallize which is so compelling, yet possibly fleeting, that one needs to seize the moment.  Such an opportunity began to materialize during a series of conversations involving Housing and Food Services’ new student housing master plan.  This plan defines the need to develop a series of new and renovated student housing projects at the Seattle Campus having an estimated cost approaching $1 billion and commencing this year.

Paul Brown is passionate about the success of this program with his key success factors centered on providing value to students as measured by quality, functionality, cost effectiveness and timeliness.  Our Capital Projects Office is passionate about the success of this program with key success factors centered on adding value to our customer as measured by the above goals along with innovative program planning, cost effective execution and design excellence.   Add to this a recent challenge from V’Ella to use this HFS program as an occasion to develop a “pilot” to create an example of a streamlined project, and we have an opportunity that promises to be a pilot way to manage and execute very large and leveraging projects which in very real and measurable ways will change the paradigm of project management at the University. 

While this model will be more fully developed with thoughtful and creative input from many of us over the next few months, the most significant factor that allows us to do this is the assignment of an empowered, experienced manager and decision-maker leading the project development organization.  

Paul Brown joined Housing and Food Services here at the UW in 1986, and has been the Director for the past 13 years. He has worked in higher education with a focus on housing and food services administration since 1971. His experience includes positions at the University of Connecticut, SUNY College at Purchase in New York and North Adams State College in Massachusetts. Paul holds a B.S. and a M.Ed. from Springfield College in Massachusetts.   Paul joins the Capital Projects Office Leadership Team in the newly created position of Director, Student Housing Program Group.  He comes to this new position fully vested with the requisite decision making authority delegated from Eric Godfrey, Vice Provost for Student Life.     Paul’s office is located in the University Facilities Building along with the other members of our leadership team.