Unsung heroes: Meet 4 UMBC building managers who keep research moving

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 17:18:15 -0400
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The College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences is home to high-tech scientific instrumentation alongside traditional infrastructure like water pipes and HVAC systems, all of which UMBC researchers and students rely on. That equipment also requires regular maintenance and occasional upgrades, and it’s the often-invisible work of UMBC’s skilled and experienced building managers that keeps things humming. Four CNMS building managers welcomed us into their world, sharing everything from what it takes to succeed in their roles to the hidden gems found in their buildings.

Meet the building managers:

Erik Crowe, Physics Building

Dennis Cuddy, Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building

Brian Moravec, Meyerhoff Chemistry Building

Sam Williams, Biological Sciences Building and Schwartz Hall

Erik Crowe
Building Manager, Physics Building

Erik Crowe brought five years of hands-on expertise as a laboratory specialist in the UMBC physics department and prior experience at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center to his current role as physics department building manager, which he assumed in 2019. Today he supports faculty, staff, and students in physics—including the Earth and Space Institute and Quantum Science Institute—overseeing everything from HVAC systems to lab renovations. Crowe thrives on the blend of technical innovation, educational support, and collaborative spirit he gets to practice in his role.
Erik Crowe works in the Physics Building’s basement machine shop, where he fabricates custom instrument parts for researchers and trains students to do the same. Crowe built 35 parts for AirHARP, a critical precursor to UMBC’s HARP2, which is currently orbiting Earth on NASA’s PACE mission. (Photo by Brad Ziegler/UMBC)
Q: What do you enjoy about your role?

A: I appreciate that every day presents new challenges to problem-solve and support occupants of the Physics Building. My position allows me to leverage my technical background in facilities management and in educating students, staff, and faculty about prototyping and precision machine operations in the machine shop. I also appreciate my collaboration with my colleagues. We have a wonderful staff team in physics, and I couldn’t be successful in my position without their support. The faculty, staff, and students are always finding new ways to push me to expand my skill set.

Q: What brought you to UMBC?

A: I started my career as a process engineer developing and fabricating cryogenic detectors, devices that use ultra-low temperatures to very sensitively detect particles, for the Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. I thoroughly enjoyed the work, but working in a cleanroom is grueling, and I was looking for something new. Encouraged by my former college advisor, I applied for the lab specialist position at UMBC and was hired in December 2014. It was the change that I needed. I have grown both professionally and personally over the last decade, hitting career goals and growing my family.

Q: What are some of your proudest moments?

A: I am particularly proud of collaborating with the structural maintenance department in facilities management (FM) to renovate approximately 40 spaces in the building over the course of a year and a half. These included research labs, office spaces, and our graduate student wing. It is a tremendous amount of work to plan, organize, and facilitate a project of that size, but we were able to do it with minimal interruption and impact to the building occupants.

I am also proud of the ongoing work to improve the HVAC system within the Physics Building. Over the last decade, we’ve gathered data and addressed the underlying issues, so completing the HVAC study last year was a huge milestone for me. We have a lot of work left to do, but we are moving in the right direction every day.
Crowe operates a lathe, which is useful for creating complex shapes in various materials. The lathe is the only instrument Crowe does not train others to use due to the risk of injury; he takes safety in the shop very seriously and is proud of the space’s safety record. (Photo by Brad Ziegler/UMBC)
Q: What does it take to be a successful building manager?

A: It takes large doses of patience, persistence, organization, and communication skills to be a successful building manager. You have to prioritize different issues that arise on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. There are emergencies where a building system might go down or malfunction. In those situations, you have to stay calm, gather data, run through your contact list, formulate a plan, communicate the impact, and follow up to make sure all aspects of an issue are addressed. You also have to be prepared to pivot when things don’t go smoothly.

I submit work orders every day to keep the building running. There are small maintenance and renovation projects where I meet with the FM shops to discuss our approach, there are large-scale projects that can significantly impact occupants and their academic and research activities, and everything in between. My day is never the same and the requests I receive ebb and flow.

Q: What are some of your favorite spaces or hidden gems in the building?

A: The machine shop is my favorite space in the building. Over the last decade, I have built the shop to match the department’s needs. I am proud of the resource it has become and my interactions with students, staff, and faculty to help them develop their technical skills. I am excited about the future of the space, and how we can continue to grow its capabilities and educational programming. It’s a lean facility, but it packs a punch.

Not all of our research activities are performed inside the building. We installed a dedicated research platform on the roof in 2018, which gathers data for atmospheric physics and astrophysics research. But the roof doesn’t just house equipment—it also provides some of the best views on campus of the Baltimore skyline.
Erik Crowe maintains the Physics Building’s machine shop (left) and instrumentation on the building’s roof (right). (Photos by Brad Ziegler/UMBC)
Dennis Cuddy
Senior Facilities Manager, Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building and beyond

Dennis Cuddy, administrator of the Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building (ILSB) and senior facilities manager in the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, is in his 26th year at UMBC and his sixth in his current role. Cuddy’s career exemplifies innovative problem-solving and dedication to UMBC’s scientific ecosystem, from orchestrating the renovation of the Meyerhoff Chemistry Building to managing dozens of classrooms, labs, and core facilities that support hundreds of students and researchers.
Dennis Cuddy maintains research equipment in the Interdisciplinary Life Sciences Building, which opened in 2019. (Photo by Brad Ziegler/UMBC)
Q: What do you appreciate about your role?

A: UMBC has allowed me to use my strengths in organization, scheduling, and operations while exposing me to skills like web development, event planning, and major construction operations—above and beyond what I could offer when I was hired. Now, I handle building operations across colleges and consult for administrative departments I’ve worked with over the years. It’s fulfilling to be asked your opinion about how things can run better.

Q: What brought you to UMBC?

A: I answered an ad in the Baltimore Sun for a chemist, which listed managerial duties similar to what I was doing at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center. I still have the ad somewhere at home.

Q: What are some of your proudest moments?

A: I oversaw the renovation of the Meyerhoff Chemistry Building from 2002 to 2005. When we needed additional funds to finish the project, I wrote a construction grant to the National Center for Research Resources that was awarded. Being tasked with reporting the research activities going on in the renovated space for 20 years after the fact was the price I paid, but it was worth it.
The ILSB sports a green roof, which reduces cooling costs but also complicates building maintenance. (Photo by Brad Ziegler/UMBC)
Q: What does it take to be a successful building manager?

A: It takes patience, good communication, organization, and being proactive when needed (and knowing when that is). You have to be a representative of the university and a good steward of state-appropriated funds. Helping colleagues when needed is essential, because even buildings with dedicated facility managers often lack backups.

Q: What are some of your favorite spaces or surprising facts about the building?

A: The lobby by the third floor elevators is pretty amazing, with the green roof and double helix staircase to the fourth floor, but I find that sitting in the main lobby, anonymously taking in the beauty of the space and the energy of the students, is the most rewarding. Most people don’t know that the ILSB sits on a redirected creek bed, and even during the driest times, the water table is only eight feet beneath the basement floor.
The ILSB houses several active learning classrooms with extensive audio visual equipment that Cuddy also oversees. (Photo by Brad Ziegler/UMBC)
Brian Moravec
Building Manager, Meyerhoff Chemistry Building

Brian Moravec honed his skills through two decades in USDA molecular biology labs. For the last six years, he has ensured that research and teaching go smoothly in the Meyerhoff Chemistry Building as its building manager. Moravec coordinates repairs and maintenance, manages inventories, and supervises the department’s glassblower and teaching lab manager—turning potential disruptions into opportunities for safety and efficiency.
Brian Moravec will do anything to keep his building spic and span, including stopping to straighten a poster during a tour of the Meyerhoff Chemistry Building. (Photo by Brad Ziegler/UMBC)
Q: What do you enjoy about your role?

A: I like that my responsibilities change from day to day. One day I may spend most of my time in the office completing administrative tasks, and the next day I might respond to an urgent water leak. I also like that my colleagues in the department, college, and facilities management all have the same goal: Keep things running safely and smoothly to serve our community’s education and research needs.

Q: What brought you to UMBC?

A: I worked in a molecular biology lab at the USDA in Beltsville, Maryland for 20 years. Near the end of that time, I was able to take temporary work as a facility operations specialist at the National Agricultural Library and the National Arboretum. These temporary jobs boosted my interest in the field of building management and operations. When I saw an opening at UMBC in a STEM field, I decided to make a switch.
Brian Moravec maintains the behind-the-scenes systems that keep the Meyerhoff Chemistry Building running. (Photo by Brad Ziegler/UMBC)
Q: What are some of your proudest moments?

A: I am proud of the water damage mitigation I helped with during the 2022 Christmas flood. Our building was damaged, but we didn’t lose any scientific equipment because I had prepared some items in advance, just in case we needed to divert water around million-dollar instruments. I am also proud of the safety record in both the teaching and research labs in the building. Our building can be dangerous, with flammable and toxic materials, but the safety training and equipment we provide helps keep what can be a dangerous place very safe.

Q: What is something you want people to know about the building or your role?

A: People should know that sometimes the building smells—it’s old! There are a lot of different chemicals in use, but a strange odor by itself is not dangerous. Also, I consider myself a problem solver. People come to me with all sorts of difficulties and issues. I may not be able to fix them all, but I can almost certainly find someone that can help.
Brian Moravec manages and distributes keys for all spaces in his building, and there are a lot of them! (Photos by Brad Ziegler/UMBC)
Sam Williams ’99
Building Manager, Biological Sciences Building and Schwartz Hall

Sam Williams ’99, history, has dedicated 24 years to UMBC, serving the last 11 as building manager for the Biological Sciences Building after 13 years as assistant athletics director for facilities and operations. His role spans routine maintenance, crisis response, vendor coordination, budget oversight, and safety compliance.
Sam Williams maintains the many freezers that store experimental samples in the Biological Sciences Building. Some are as cold as -80 degrees Celsius. (Photo by Brad Ziegler/UMBC)
Q: What do you enjoy about your role?

A: I appreciate the fact that no day is ever the same. I feel like we have a great department, from the students to the faculty and staff, which makes coming to work a lot easier.

Q: What are some of your proudest moments?

A: I’ve been a part of two major events: COVID and the great flood in December of 2022. Both of these events brought their own set of challenges. However, the biggest goal for both was making sure that research continued and building occupants were able to work in a safe environment. I have a lot of memories from both.

Q: What does it take to be a successful building manager?

A: I feel like you need patience and the ability to adapt. Things can change by the minute, so being prepared and prioritizing is an essential skill. I would also say that problem-solving is one of the best skills I’ve learned. Having a good working relationship with building occupants and FM makes my life a lot easier, too.
Sam Williams helped coordinate repair of the Biological Sciences Building’s mural (pictured), which was damaged in a flood in 2022. (Photo by Brad Ziegler/UMBC)