From the Desk of Acting Regional Commissioner Tom Lyman

While on a recent walk, I noticed how quickly the start of spring had changed the landscape. Seasonal changes remind us that transformation is a constant and recurring part of life. We lived in a very different world 50 years ago–just imagine life without your cell phone or personal computer!

This past October marked the 50th anniversary of GSA’s Art in Architecture program, a program dedicated to creating a lasting cultural legacy for the American people. While much has changed in 50 years, our commitment to preserving this legacy is unwavering. In late 2022, Page Conservation, Inc. completed a major art conservation of Francis Davis Millet’s mural series “The Evolution of Navigation” (created in 1907) in the Call Room of the historic U.S. Custom House in Baltimore, Maryland.

We also recently completed the first phase of renovations at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services headquarters campus in Woodlawn, Maryland. The renovated space will enable CMS to consolidate several hundred employees out of leased space and back onto campus, saving $4.8 million annually.

As the federal government’s landlord, we take our role of operating our inventory at maximum efficiency very seriously. We couldn’t do it without our team of experts. One of these experts is Mid-Atlantic Region PBS Chief Electrical Engineer Steve Dunn, recently recognized as a top 10 finalist for the National Society of Professional Engineers’ Federal Engineer of the Year. Congratulations to Steve and all of our federal colleagues honored through this program.

Please join me in welcoming some familiar faces to new roles within our organization. Mid-Atlantic PBS is pleased to announce Shannon Figaniak as our new Director of the Project Delivery Division, where she will oversee a team managing the Region’s program of projects below $10 million and the reimbursable work we perform on behalf of our tenant agencies. We also welcome Renee Domurat as our new Real Estate Acquisition Division Director, providing real estate policy guidance, oversight, and support for our real estate acquisitions and other realty activities. We are also pleased to announce Michelle Bohm, Stephanie Hill and Diana McLain as Branch Chiefs in our new Acquisition Center, formed to acquire facilities management services for the Mid-Atlantic, Southeast Sunbelt and National Capital Regions.

Collaboration with our federal partners is key to our collective future success. We invite you to read about our recent meeting with the U.S. Courts, U.S. Marshals Service and the Federal Protective Service in support of the Service Validation Initiative, a partnership between GSA and the Judiciary to jointly resolve issues and make recommendations for lasting change that improve service on behalf of American taxpayers.

When staffing is short and budgets are tight, our federal colleagues look to GSA for solutions that will free up their in-house resources to focus on their agency’s core mission. We invite you to explore GSA’s mail management solutions that can provide administrative support while reducing operational costs.

In February, GSA held a virtual Client Enrichment Series presentation on electric vehicle initiatives. Presenters discussed the federal fleet electrification initiative, executive orders and federal mandates related to sustainable vehicles, and GSA resources available to assist agencies in meeting federal fleet sustainability requirements.

Our Green Proving Ground also published findings from a recent study that assessed the performance and benefits of low-cost, non-invasive gas submeters, continuing our investigation into emerging technologies to achieve sustainable building operations now and into the future.

While no one knows for sure what the next 50 years will bring, our GSA professionals continue to explore solutions to help position the federal government for continued success.

Tom Lyman
Acting Regional Commissioner
Public Buildings Service
GSA Mid-Atlantic Region

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This article is part of the Spring issue of the FOCUS newsletter. Please visit the Focus Newsletter page to read our newsletter.