Matthew Berbée Begins as Assistant Vice President for Facilities Operations and Services
A leader with more than 20 years of experience, Matthew Berbée began as assistant vice president for facilities operations and services on May 12. Berbée is returning to the Institute, where he served in various roles on campus and at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), which is managed by Caltech, from 2002 to 2018 prior to taking on leadership of facilities operations, engineering and sustainability at NBCUniversal.
As assistant vice president for facilities operations and services at Caltech, Berbée will provide strategic leadership and oversight for the maintenance, repair, and operation of the Institute's 124-acre campus and 4.8 million square feet of facilities. He will oversee services including energy and utility management, transportation, logistics, buildings and grounds, and sustainability programs in support of Caltech's research and educational mission. With a team of approximately 275 staff and oversight of key operating and capital budgets, Berbée will play a vital role in ensuring efficient, effective, and customized facilities solutions across campus.
"I am humbled by the opportunity to return to Caltech," Berbée says. "I look forward to serving the Institute in all things facilities and operations, and delivering the best possible services to support our shared mission."
Prior to returning to Caltech, Berbée served as vice president of facilities operations, engineering and sustainability at NBCUniversal, where he oversaw operations at the Universal Studios Lot, DreamWorks Animation Campus, 10 Universal City Plaza, and Assembly Studios in Atlanta. In addition to operations, he led global sustainability and critical infrastructure programs, and managed teams focused on infrastructure capital planning, asset management, facilities and tenant services, sustainability, incident management, information systems, smart buildings, and critical facility operations.
Berbée was the director of maintenance and energy services at Caltech from 2013 to 2018, managing campus operations and energy programs on the Facilities team. He began his career at the Institute in 2002 as the energy manager at JPL and served on Lab through 2008 before becoming the energy manager on campus. Berbée holds an MBA from Pepperdine University and a BS in mechanical engineering from Cal Poly Pomona. He is an APPA-certified educational facilities professional and a US Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Associate.
"Matt brings a wealth of technical knowledge, experience, and leadership that will serve Caltech well," says David Kang, associate vice president of facilities. "Additionally, due to his previous tenure at Caltech, he already understands our unique culture, and the importance of our relationship with the academic divisions and other units across the Institute as we work toward providing the highest level of service possible in support of Caltech's mission."