Photo by Christina VanHorn,
UNH Human Resources

There are days at UNH when it seems as though Don Sebourn has an identical twin (or 2) in various areas of the university campus. He'll drive by you and wave, then you'll be going into a building at one end of the campus 5 minutes later and he's coming out of that building, and then you'll go somewhere at the opposite end of campus and there he is again!

Don came to UNH as a Facilities Electrician 1989. "I had done electrical maintenance in the past and figured this would be a good fill-in job until something else came along," he recalls. "I liked the family atmosphere that UNH provided and all the helpful, friendly people that I met." He was promoted to Electrical Supervisor in 1998, and five years later he was again promoted to Area Manager and this is the position he holds today. Some of the responsibilities in his current position are overseeing and providing maintenance (general maintenance, electrical, plumbing and carpentry) for 1.2 million square feet of the Academic Buildings (14 in total) on campus. He manages a crew of eight "highly skilled, professional employees" with various technical backgrounds. "We make sure that we provide the high level service to our customers that they expect," Don says. "We have to provide this service within budget and within RCM guidelines."

Don says some of the skills required for his position are "computer skills, knowledge of Maintenance Management Software (Famis) and excellent customer service skills. Also, the ability to build a realistic budget based on building history, knowledge of UNH system policies and procedures, knowledge of campus infrastructure and dedication to UNH." He had an opportunity to hone many of those skills after being selected to be a participant in the pilot program of Supervising @UNH in 2004.

When asked who at UNH has had a positive impact on him he says "the person who has had the most positive impact on me would have to be Susan Bennett, Director of Contracts/Facilities Garage. She hired me in 1989 as an electrician and apparently saw something about my attitude, personality and work background that would benefit the whole university. I have appreciated the chance to perform my daily tasks as the university would expect." Sue Bennett recalls "I hired Don to come to work for 'Area IV' when Facilities was in the first zone maintenance concept. Don was always well respected by his co-workers and customers. What I respect most about Don is his drive to always do 'what's best' for UNH. Don has been recognized on several occasions for going above and beyond to restore electrical service to critical areas of campus. Also, Don is very safety minded. He supervises his staff to ensure they work safely. He also pitches right in to work along side his staff to get the job done. Don is an exemplary manager. He strives to follow University policies and procedures and do his job ethically and professionally."

In 2003, Don was a recipient of the Presidential Award of Excellence at UNH. Don's nomination was the result of not only the hard work that he performs daily in his position at the university, but also the true professionalism and dedication that he displayed during a difficult situation. When the Kingsbury Math Wing experienced a power outage in July of 2002, impacting the Kingsbury Data Center, Don's expertise with the campus electrical grid (the result of over fourteen years of service at UNH) became an invaluable resource for the university community. Not only did Don lead the response to restore electricity to the site, his handling of the situation saved many machines and restored business functions as quickly as possible. Working through a long weekend, Don tapped his resources to secure necessary parts and emergency generators. Many of those who were impacted by this emergency took the time to express their gratitude by nominating Don for that award. Speaking about the award and that situation, Don says "this problem could not have been resolved without the help from many other UNH facilities team players that I had the privilege of working with in a time of crisis."

When Don is not at work, he can likely be found spending time riding motorcycles ("anywhere we can go on two wheels") with his wife (Jean) or attending the drag races at New England Dragway. The Strafford, NH residents enjoy dining out. "It's easier to eat out than sit home and cook for two people," Don says. He also enjoys spending time with his four children and six grandchildren. Maybe all the time he spends around the younger folk helps to keep Don young-at-heart as he says "my favorite holiday is Halloween because I can dress up and scare the kids! We do up the whole house for Halloween every year with strobe lights, loud music and costumes. I'm already planning for this year!!"