Project manager leads new round of facilities planning

SPOKANE, Wash. – Washington State University Spokane has hired a facilities project manager to plan and manage land use on the growing campus.
 
Russell (Rusty) Pritchard leaves the position of vice president/senior project manager at Hill International where he guided the planned public/private Wine Science Center on the WSU Tri-Cities campus through the state review process.

 

WSU Spokane Chancellor Lisa Brown said Pritchard is the right person at the right time.

 

“Rusty will help us plan for the continued growth of medical and health sciences education and research on our campus. His experience in space planning, land development, design and construction is perfect for taking us to the next level.”
 
Pritchard has provided technical assistance on the Spokane Public Facilities District’s convention center completion project and served as senior project manager on the Thomas S. Foley U.S. courthouse modernization.

 

Pritchard’s experience with multiple stakeholders will strengthen the university’s collaboration with partners, Brown said.

 

“As we near capacity for classroom, office and lab space, and work with both public and private partners to invest wisely in new construction and existing buildings, collaboration will be crucial,” she said.
 
Among Pritchard’s early assignments will be working with the City of Spokane on the proposed bike/pedestrian bridge between campus and East Sprague, retooling the campus master plan and moving ahead on plans for the Jensen-Byrd building.

 

A resident of Mead since 1996 and a native of Berea, Ohio, Pritchard has an extensive background in project and construction management. Prior to his project management work for Hill International, a construction management company with offices in Spokane, he was employed by KJM & Associates of Bellevue in a similar role.

 

He also spent 22 years in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. His last military assignment was at Gonzaga University where he was a professor of military science.

 

Pritchard holds a BS in forest resource management from Ohio State University and an MS in construction management from Texas A&M.

 

WSU Spokane is Washington State University’s urban health sciences campus. Located in the heart of the University District near downtown Spokane, WSU Spokane prepares the state’s future generations of physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other health professionals and houses world-class research that leads to healthier people and communities. Learn more about WSU’s growing health sciences campus at http://www.spokane.wsu.edu.