Facilities and Construction Staff

Joe Metro has extensive experience in the facilities management field in higher education, K-12 and industry. He is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and holds an MBA from Bloomsburg University. He has worked in facilities management for International Salt at Bloomsburg Area School District, Bloomsburg University, Cornell University, Mankato State University (Minnesota), Cranbrook Educational Community (Michigan) and is currently the Director of Facilities Management at Elizabethtown College.

In all of his positions a major focus has been on the conservation of resources and minimizing the impact of institutional facilities on the environment. While doing this he has installed two backpressure cogeneration systems, managed numerous renovation projects focusing on providing state of the art facilities which operate very efficiently. He has developed and presented a process to determine the cost of operating facilities in a constant state of usefulness in which they support the programs they house while not incurring deferred maintenance backlog. His philosophy is to provide facilities which properly support the learning, living and outreach programs of the university with the smallest impact on the environment and to exercise a stewardship roll for those who will follow him in managing the institution's facilities.

  Mark Zimmerman is the Project Coordinator for Facilities Management and has been employed at the college for 17 years. Mark attained his Certificate in Management in 2001 and his BS in Business Administration in 2011 from Elizabethtown College. Mark manages many of the repair and renovation projects that occur on campus and manages the Renewal and Replacement budget. Mark has over 23 years of experience in building renovation, remodeling and facilities management and works closely with the Director of Facilities with the implementation of projects and construction planning. Mark is a member of APPA (Association of Physical Plant Administrators) and has attended the Institute for Facilities Management and has completed 2 of the 4 tracks needed to obtain his CEFP (Certified Educational Facilities Professional) Credential.

  Baron E Wanner is the Mechanical Trades Supervisor, has worked at Elizabethtown College for 33 years, and attended Stevens Technical School majoring in plumbing/electrical. Baron oversees campus plumbing & backflow inspection and documentation, heating, air conditioning and electrical. He also manages building automation system operation and scheduling.  

Barry Fritz is the Technical Operations Director.  The Technical Operations department provides support for events held in Leffler Chapel & Performance Center’s Musser Auditorium and the Brossman Common’s Koon’s Activity Venue. Barry has been with the college for over 16 years.  Barry has also served as a faculty member, resident designer, and technical director for the college’s Theatre Division. He has a BFA degree in Theatre from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Steve Bender is the Supervisor of Environmental Services. In this position, Steve supervises all Environmental Services staff, hires Environmental Services staff as needed, oversees cleanliness and sanitation of all campus buildings, and inspects fire extinguisher units on campus meet safety standards.   Years with College: 3 years with Dining Services – 19 years with Facilities Management

Donna Browning is the Assistant Director for Special Events & Summer Programs, and has been with the College for 10 years. Donna supervises special events, summer camps and conferences. She also supervises the Colleges scheduling program. Donna attended York College of Pennsylvania majoring in Business Administration.

Joe Hudzick is the Manager of Special Events & Summer Programs, has been employed for three years and is a 2009 Graduate of Elizabethtown College. Joe supervises the Special Events & Summer Programs student summer employees.  Joe is also responsible for assisting off campus clients with planning for an event or conference on campus.  He is also responsible for coordinating all on campus event setups with members of the campus community who are planning events. 

Karen Hodges has been employed by Elizabethtown College since 1993, and has been Coordinator of Campus Events and Scheduling since 2004.  In this position, Karen works with faculty, staff, and student groups, assisting them in properly scheduling their meetings and events. Karen graduated from Elizabethtown College in 2004 with a BS in Business Administration. She loves traveling and photographing people from around the world.

  Joe Yurkovic is the Office/Work Station Manager for Facilities Management and has been employed at the College since 1996. Joe oversees the day-to-day operation of the Facilities Management front office, including the work order system. He also handles accounts payable for the department and acts as administrator for the departments P-Card (purchasing card/Visa), and is responsible for the water quality/chemistry of the College swimming pool.

Sharon Defenderfer is the Administrative Assistant at Facilities Management. Sharon answers the many telephone calls from the campus community for assistance. Her responsibilities also include filing and correspondence involving campus construction and events, and managing the schedule for the Director of Facilities Management. In addition, Sharon manages the College’s vehicle/motorpool reservations and reports. Sharon has been employed at the College for eleven years.

Scott Nissley , Building Trades & Grounds Manager, has been employed at Elizabethtown College since 1986. Scott supervises the 5 person Grounds staff, who maintain approximately 38 acres of turf, campus landscaping beds, and 16 acres of NCAA Athletic Fields.  The Grounds staff is also responsible  for maintaining all the roads, paths, and sidewalks on campus. Scott also supervises the 6 person Building Trades staff, who complete work orders, and general repair items such as repairing or replacing doors and windows. The Building Trades staff is also part of the hybrid construction process currently used at the college on very large projects. Over the last few years, the Trades staff has fabricated and installed all of the wood trim in the Hoover Center, and fabricated and installed $1.2 million of case work and cabinetry in the SMEC project.  Scott manages the campus painting workload, all the large projects on campus, and subcontractors that fall within his trades. Scott manages, with his staff the snow removal process during the winter. He also supervises student  maintenance assistants throughout the year.