Welcome Back!
July 2001--"My job is to come in and clear a path for our guys to do what they need to do," said Joe Desormeaux, the new senior director for maintenance and operations. "I find the resources employees need and then let them go out and do their thing."
Desormeaux (pronounced "desire more") is excited to be back in Raleigh where he earned his mechanical engineering degree from N.C. State University 20-plus years ago. Since then, he has climbed up the ranks to facility maintenance director at the Kelly Air Force Base in Texas.
"With his extensive facility and maintenance experience, Joe will be a tremendous asset to our team," said Ray Massey, associate superintendent for auxiliary services.
Desormeaux's transition to the school system should be fairly smooth due to the similarities between his position with the Air Force and the new one here. He managed 350 engineers and technicians (civilians and military) through six directors; led the privatization of water, sewer, gas, and electric utilities with the city of San Antonio; and supported "Team Kelly" - 20,000 personnel, an airfield and 15 million square feet in over 560 facilities.
By comparison, the Wake County Public School System has 126 campuses, over 500 school and administrative buildings, and more than 500 mobiles, totaling over 14 million square feet. Here, the three school system maintenance directors will report directly to Desormeaux, who in turn will report to the assistant superintendent for facilities, Mike Burriss. As of July 2, Desormeaux will be stationed in the Operations Building at Rock Quarry Road.
According to Desormeaux, one of his greatest accomplishments with the Air Force is building a 2,000-person tent-city and aircraft parking ramp in the desert during Operation Desert Storm. "It took everyone working together toward a common goal," he said. Similarly, maintenance and operations will be successful if everyone works together.
Desormeaux attributes joining the Air Force to two factors: his father was in the Air Force and he received a ROTC scholarship at NCSU. After graduating from NCSU, he earned his master's degree in information resource management from Webster University in Florida. Next stop for Desormeaux was the Kelly Air Force Base. Now, on board with WCPSS, he is searching for a home in Wake County with his wife, Amy, and his daughter who will be entering middle school in the fall.