Vice Chancellor for Infrastructure and Sustainability Chris Ewing has named d’Andre Willis as assistant vice chancellor for Planning & Design for CU Boulder. Willis will continue to serve as campus architect, a position to which she was appointed to serve in 2021.
Willis will lead a newly formed Office of Planning and Design, made up of the Planning Department and the Office of Space Optimization (OSO). In leading this unit, Willis will continue to report to Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities Management Brian Lindoerfer and to work closely with Director of Space Optimization Kevin Griffin and Assistant Director of Planning Amy Kirtland.
“I am honored and thrilled to accept the position of assistant vice chancellor, and appreciate the trust placed in me in this role,” Willis said.
“The focus of my career has been on creating public spaces that make communities better. It’s a privilege to be asked to steward this beautiful campus in support of the academic mission, culture and people of the university.”
Willis says that the synergy of the combined team will be able to provide key strategic advice to campus leadership on how to best use existing space and plan for the future needs of campus.
“It’s exciting to welcome Kevin and the OSO team members to partner with the Planning team in the Office of Planning & Design. Their work in tracking and analyzing space use on campus and in creating advanced visualization tools such as the campus Geographical Information System (GIS) will elevate the process of planning for future space needs on campus.”
Willis came to CU Boulder with over 30 years of experience in architecture and planning, rising to vice president at HGA Architects and then leading her own consulting practice. Over the course of her career, she has led and managed projects such as the Folger Shakespeare Library’s expansion in Washington, DC; the Northern Virginia Science Center; the Contemplative Site and African American Burial Ground at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and multiple campus buildings at the University of Virginia, Wheaton College, University of Wisconsin system and Marquette University.
“d’Andre has the ability and vision to help us shape our next steps and implement the projects outlined in our campus master plan, and she possesses the experience and tenacity to steer our campus forward while preserving our architectural legacy on the CU Boulder campus,” said Vice Chancellor Ewing.
“I want to thank d’Andre for stepping into this role with her typical enthusiasm and energy, and I look forward to supporting her as she works with us toward an exciting future.”
Willis holds an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and a Master of Architecture from the University of Illinois at Chicago.