Campus Connection

UWL alumnus honored as School Facilities Manager of the Year

[caption id="attachment_6528" align="alignleft" width="300"] John Stangler, ’05 & ’12, is the Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials 2017 School Facilities Manager of the Year.[/caption] John Stangler knows how to make the numbers add up. The 2005 and 2012 alumnus is a freelance statistician for the NFL and NCAA, but by day, he is maintaining the facilities and buildings for the Pewaukee School District. “Measuring and analyzing data is also an extremely important aspect of success in my field,” says Stangler. Stangler monitors numbers like the district’s energy consumption. The efforts by him and his team have resulted in a nearly seven percent energy consumption savings for the 528,000 square feet of district facilities. That’s one reason he was selected by the Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials as the 2017 School Facilities Manager of the Year. “It’s a great accomplishment to be recognized by my colleagues as a leader in my field,” he says. Stangler was presented with the award in May in La Crosse. The presentation is in conjunction with the WASBO Spring Conference. Stangler has been in his role since 2012. He also serves as the district’s safety coordinator. “I have never worked with anyone as proactive or as cognizant of their role in the big picture of meeting the school district’s mission of opening the door to each child’s future,” wrote Brian Kammers, Pewaukee School District board president, who’s been on the board for 21 years. Stangler earned his bachelor’s degree in exercise and sport science – sport management, and his master’s in exercise and sport science – sport administration. One of the lessons he took from his time at UWL is to have a strong process in place and procedures to follow. That lesson came in pieces from a variety of professors at UWL — tracking and analyzing data from Richard Mikat; sports management principles with Chia-Chen Yu; facility management from Phil Esten; research with Garth Tymeson; sports psychology from Barry Schockmel; sports management principles and management styles from David Waters; sports marketing and business techniques with Joel Chilsen; and sports law in athletics and schools from Kim Blum. Stangler was also a vanguard on campus, an experience that taught him to speak publicly with ease. He now serves on the UWL Alumni Association board as the Milwaukee Network representative. “I’m glad UWL prepared me to be a multi-faceted administrator and leader in my career field,” he says.