Women in FM: Leading With Empathy
The Children’s Charity of Delaware Valley in Worcester, Pennsylvania, educates children and young adults with disabilities. On just 77 acres of land, the camp houses more than 30 buildings. Kristin Podwojski, director of operations, and her team work hard every day to ensure that the camp remains resilient and accessible to attendees.
“Everything on our campus – infrastructure, buildings – were all built in the 1950s with the exception of one building,” Podwojski says. “So, we are facing a lot of clean up needed and maintenance constantly on these buildings, which can be a little bit of a struggle as a nonprofit. Funding isn’t always there, so a lot of it [maintenance] is based on priority.”
As anyone with a career in facilities knows, there will come a time when you have to fight for what can get done. Having a limited budget and small staff, Podwojski relies on volunteers and her own creativity to be able to complete tasks and keep the camp accessible for all attendees. What makes Podwojski so special, though, is how she openly cares for every single person who attends the camp. She prioritizes their needs and continuously advocates for them to have a better space.
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