Executive Bios

Morgan White, Interim Associate Vice Chancellor of Facilities & Services; Director for Strategic Initiatives & Sustainability
mbwhite@illinois.edu

Morgan White is the director for Strategic Initiatives & Sustainability and the interim Associate Vice Chancellor (AVC) of Facilities & Services.

Morgan is a life-long member of this campus community, from childhood visits to Greg Hall with her history professor father through her recent roles as Interim Director of Capital Programs and Interim AVC of F&S. After attending Uni High, Morgan graduated with honors in Civil and Environmental Engineering. She worked at the university’s Printing Department while getting her Masters in Urban Planning. In 2007, Morgan became the first Transportation Demand Management Coordinator for campus, with the primary responsibility for encouraging active transportation and enhancing pedestrian safety. Since 2010 she’s had responsibility for overseeing implementation of the Illinois Climate Action Plan.

Morgan now serves as the director of Strategic Initiatives & Sustainability, leading the F&S Operational Excellence Capital Delivery initiatives. In her current role, Morgan works to facilitate process improvements, report on progress, overcome obstacles, answer questions, prioritize initiatives, and address policy updates. Throughout each day, Morgan advocates for furthering the university’s sustainability goals and meeting our Climate Commitments to be carbon neutral and resilient by 2050. 

White graduated with honors from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as a Chancellor’s Scholar in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department, with an emphasis on geotechnical engineering. She also earned a master’s degree in Urban Planning from Illinois.

Jim Sims, Senior Director of Planning, Design & Construction; and Director of Engineering & Construction Services
jimsims@illinois.edu

Jim Sims oversees Planning and Capital Projects (formerly of Capital Programs), and Engineering & Construction Services (ECS) teams.

This organizational change strengthens leadership and promotes greater integration across these closely related divisions, helping to streamline operations and ensure alignment with our long-term campus priorities. He also oversees Campus Code Compliance & Fire Safety, Construction Services, Engineering Design, Engineering Quality Assurance, Facilities Information Resources, and Transportation Demand Management.

Prior to assuming his current role, Sims served as a planner/engineer and interim senior planner within F&S’ Capital Programs division. Before joining the university in 2012, Sims worked as a structural engineer at Thornton-Tomasetti in Chicago as well as led the Structural Engineering Division at HDC Engineering/MSA Professional Engineers in Champaign.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a master’s degree in civil engineering (structures) from the University of Notre Dame. Sims is a Licensed Structural Engineer, a Licensed Professional Engineer, and a LEED accredited professional.

Malikah Gordon, Director of Customer Relations & Communications
magordon@illinois.edu

Malikah Gordon brings more than 15 years of customer relations operations and overall corporate-level communications experience to the role.

Gordon started with F&S in February 2019 as the manager of customer relations. From January 2020 to present, she has served as both the acting associate director and manager of customer relations for CRC.

Prior to joining F&S, Gordon worked as the assistant director of member services at Campus Recreation. As the assistant director, she supervised and managed the frontline staff between two facilities, oversaw and managed the unit’s customer relations operations, and coordinated marketing and account service functions to facilitate effective professional communications for member services. Gordon was also responsible for proofreading and editing content for all member services print and digital publications, while working with graphic designers and colleagues in the development of revised and new print materials for member services.

Gordon holds a master’s degree in translation and interpreting studies from the U. of I. and a Bachelor of Arts from Eastern Illinois University. She is an associate member of the American Translators Association and a student member of the Midwest Association of Translators and Interpreters.

Mike Larson, Interim Director of Utilities & Energy Services
mjlarso1@illinois.edu

Interim director and associate director of utilities production with UES, Mike Larson provides a considerable amount of time and effort dealing with utility issues so that the campus is not impacted. He is a driving force at Facilities & Services and is trusted, reliable and respected by everyone he encounters. In 2025, Larson was honored as a Chancellor’s Staff Excellence Award (CSEA) winner to recognize the importance of the outstanding work of all university staff members who perform a wide range of functions for our university.

Larson initiated a training program that has developed employees internally for more complex duties, resulting in promotional opportunities for the entire staff. He has championed F&S to develop more robust safety training and initiated a program that has become the standard for the entire staff. He works across department and division lines to create a customer-centric relationship. Larson helps identify opportunities for customers to utilize the services of F&S and helps them lower their cost of utilities to their buildings. He is a leader in the areas of carbon reduction, finding every possible opportunity to improve on the carbon footprint of the campus. Larson was instrumental in the efforts that resulted in the university receiving the highest award for district energy operations, both commercial and institutional. He helped develop a public affairs effort at Abbott Power Plant to introduce the campus and surrounding community to the plant, which was long thought to be an off-limits area. Mike Larson has helped develop this organization into a truly professional team.

Jenny Watkins, Director of Shared Administrative Services
watkinsj@illinois.edu

Jenny Watkins is the director of Shared Administrative Services and oversees administrative and managerial support for planning, budgeting, and financial resources for Facilities & Services departments and divisions, including Financial Operations, Information Technology Services, Procurement Services, and Stores & Receiving. 

Watkins holds a bachelor’s degree in accountancy from Eastern Illinois University and is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Illinois. Before joining Facilities & Services in November 2013, she worked at the Archer-Daniels-Midland Company for 16 years. She is a member of the Business Manager’s Group (BMG) on campus and has previously served on the Business Affairs Committee for the BMG. 

Jeremy Neighbors, Director of Safety & Compliance
jneighbo@illinois.edu

Jeremy Neighbors started with F&S in 2008 after six years in civil and environmental consulting in the private sector. At F&S, he has held multiple positions, most recently as the associate director for Safety and Compliance, Occupational Safety & Health. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing occupational safety and health management programs and policies, including developing and providing various consultation and training resources. 

Neighbors is a licensed professional engineer in Illinois, as well as a Certified Safety Professional with licenses and certifications for asbestos, lead, and hazardous waste operations and emergency response. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the U. of I. in civil engineering and a master’s of business administration from the University of Illinois Springfield. 

Steve Bainbridge, Director of Building Maintenance & Grounds
bainbrid@illinois.edu

Steve Bainbridge started as Director in 2025. He has over 30 years of experience in the maintenance and construction industries including five years in the Air Force, six years in the Illinois Air National Guard, eight years in the private sector, and 19 years at the university. He served 12 years as the electricians’ foreperson before his promotion to superintendent. In 2020, Bainbridge won the Chancellor’s Distinguished Staff Award.

In this role, he will continue BMG’s focus on customer service, maintaining and improving the built environment, and collaborating with stakeholders across campus. He is well-prepared to guide the team forward with his extensive experience, dedicated customer focus, and expertise within the division. Bainbridge holds a bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University and a master’s degree from the University of Illinois Springfield. He is also an APPA Certified Educational Facilities Professional.

Pete Varney, Director of Building Services & Transportation
pvarney@illinois.edu

Pete Varney began his career as a student employee with the F&S Garage & Car Pool in 1991. Since then, Varney earned his bachelor’s degree from the U. of I. in economics, became transportation manager, was named associate director of Customer Relations & Communications, and in 2006, became associate director of Transportation & Automotive Services.

In this role, he will continue to bring sustainable options to existing services and focus on relationship building within F&S and partnering with campus customers to achieve strategic goals. Varney is a National Association of Fleet Administrators (NAFA) certified fleet manager and founding member of the NAFA Sustainable Fleet program. He also initiated a robust tracking system for waste generation and recycling collection and implemented green cleaning into Building Services departmental operations. Pete was a sergeant in the U.S. Army and Illinois National Guard.

Angela Cravens, Director of Human Resources, Culture & Strategy
acravens@illinois.edu

Angela brings more than 18 years of human resources experience spanning higher education and Fortune 500 companies, including 11 years in progressive leadership roles. Most recently, she served as director of Human Resources for the College of Veterinary Medicine, where she led a team supporting nearly 1,500 faculty, staff, and student employees across multiple departments. In that role, she managed all HR and payroll operations, employee and labor relations, performance management, and served as management’s lead negotiator for numerous collective bargaining agreements.

Angela holds a master’s in human resources and industrial relations and a bachelor’s in psychology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She has also earned several professional development certifications, including Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace and The Future of Work at Illinois: Managing Hybrid and Remote Teams.