Vice President, Facilities and Campus Services, announces plans to step down

John Shenette, vice president for facilities and campus services, announced today that he plans to step down in September.

Shenette joined the University in 2014. During his tenure, a number of key construction projects were completed, including the transformation of the historic Reynolds Gym into a modern Wellbeing Center. Residence halls around Hearn Plaza and on South campus were renovated, while many new athletics buildings were constructed. He led the restructuring of the staffing model to bring athletics operations into centralized management and the development of a leading-edge, in-house energy efficiency program that has contributed to a 44% decrease in the University’s greenhouse gas emissions.

During the pandemic, Shenette had an essential role in reopening the campus in fall of 2020 and sustaining operations by implementing important safety measures.

In 2019, Shenette was among those who led “From the Ground Up,” a collaboration between Wake Forest and Forklift Danceworks. The large-scale performance transformed Hearn Place into a stage to showcase the work of the facilities and campus services staff. More than 60 team members from Wake Forest Facilities and Campus Services, including custodial, maintenance and utilities, landscaping, construction, and waste reduction took part.

“I am deeply grateful for John’s service to the University,” said Executive Vice President Hof Milam. “John’s time at Wake Forest has been marked by tremendous improvements to our physical assets and campus infrastructure. The care and attentiveness of his approach is deeply felt in the way people experience Wake Forest today. He is highly regarded across the university as a collaborative leader.”

Next steps regarding the search process will be shared after Jacqueline Travisano joins Wake Forest as the new executive vice president in July.