Jessica Garrett

My journey in facilities management has been quite a path. Right out of college, I worked with the Kentucky Housing Corporation building houses for people who didn't have indoor plumbing - we would either renovate what they had or knock down the house and build a new one under a grant for Eastern Kentucky. Then life happened and I stayed home with my kids for several years. In 2017, I was going through a divorce and needed more money, so I applied for a facilities position at our local school district. It was kind of a catch-all administrative role dealing with workers' comp claims, insurance, and construction - all the really time-consuming and difficult stuff. After a few years, with two girls in college, I decided I could do better than administrative work, so I landed a job as a senior facilities manager with Family Allergy and Asthma. I got out of the school district pension I'd been in for 16 years and went into a more corporate position with lots of travel. I was so excited to get out of one county and manage construction projects across different states, building out allergist offices and making great connections. Then I moved to Commonwealth Credit Union as Director of Facilities and Construction, where I built bank branches and managed their facilities for 2 years. But I realized building a 401K at my age was going to make it difficult to retire, so I got back into my pension with the Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative, where I've been for the past 2 years as Manager of Facilities and Security. I manage construction projects for renovations and facilities across eight counties, from Gallatin County all the way to Bullitt County. We work with a Head Start program, so the licensing requirements for construction are much more strict because we deal with federal grants and children. It's very rewarding and very male-dominated, so I feel really blessed to have elbowed my way in here. All these different experiences have really shaped my portfolio with knowledge and what I'm able to handle.