Anna Wu, associate vice chancellor for Facilities Services, will retire in spring 2023 after 28 years of service to the University and the state.
Wu joined the University in 1995 as a facilities architect with Facilities Planning. In 2001 she was promoted to University architect and director of Facilities Planning and in 2012 to assistant vice chancellor for Facilities Operations. She was named associate vice chancellor for Facilities Services in 2015. In this role, she has directed the teams responsible for the planning, design, maintenance and operations of our University’s academic and research facilities, residence halls, and grounds and landscapes.
During her time with the University, Wu has overseen significant planning, design and construction projects for our campus. She led the development of the 2001 Campus Master Plan and its update in 2006, which provided the framework that guided a 10-year, $2.3 billion capital program that transformed campus with the construction of 6 million square feet of new buildings and renovated 1 million square feet of historic buildings. A new Campus Master Plan, driven by the University’s strategic plan, was adopted in 2019 and will guide development in the years to come.
In 2009, Wu received the C. Knox Massey Distinguished Service Award, one of the most prestigious distinctions for faculty and staff, in recognition of her service to the University. That same year, she was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, the organization’s highest membership honor that recognizes exceptional work and contributions to architecture and society.
Wu was the recipient of the Frank B. Turner Award in 2019. Presented by AIA North Carolina, the North Carolina Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Consulting Engineers Council of North Carolina, and the Professional Engineers Council of North Carolina, the award recognizes a state employee who has made an outstanding professional contribution to the built environment, as exemplified by the award’s namesake.
“We are enormously grateful for all Anna has done for our University and for her thoughtful stewardship of our campus,” said Nate Knuffman, vice chancellor for Finance and Operations, in an announcement to staff. “Her contributions have shaped what our campus is today, and her guidance and leadership will be greatly missed.”
Finance and Operations will complete an organizational assessment and begin the search for new leadership for Facilities Services over the next few months.