As Rice University continues its enhancement of services to all Owls, the Division of Finance and Administration recently implemented personnel and departmental structure updates to better serve the campus community.
Kathryn Cavender now serves as the interim assistant vice president of Campus Safety. This department includes the Rice University Police Department, Institutional Crisis Management, and Environmental Health, Safety and Lab Operations.
Before accepting this role, Cavender was the director of the Environmental Health and Safety for more than three decades. An industrial engineer by trade, she has worked in the safety field for 40 years and is a licensed certified safety professional.
Rick Mello accepted the interim role as associate vice president of Campus Services and Sustainability, which oversees Housing and Dining, Parking and Transportation, Distribution Services, the Disability Resource Center, BioScience Research Collaborative Operations and the newly created Office of Sustainability.
He brings more than 30 years of experience in higher education and has been a member of the Rice staff since June 2010.
In addition, Finance and Administration adjusted its organizational structure to optimize value.
The Office of Information Technology will integrate into Finance and Administration. This strategic alignment reinforces the framework necessary to create a cohesive customer support model. Paul Padley, professor of physics and astronomy and director of the T.W. Bonner Laboratory, will continue to serve in his current role as vice president and chief information officer.
Further, the Sustainability Operations office will merge with the Administrative Center for Sustainability and Energy Management to form the Office of Sustainability, which will report to Campus Services and Sustainability. Richard Johnson, senior executive director for sustainability, will lead this effort.
A comprehensive listing of the new organizational chart is available on the Finance and Administration website for reference.