Meet the Team: Lisa VanderHeyden, Facilities Management Instructor

Goodwill of Colorado’s Facilities Management Pre-apprenticeship training provides participants the opportunity to learn about facilities management, sustainability, and soft skills in preparation for an industry career. This program is carried out in partnership with the International Facilities Management Association (IFMA) and the City of Denver’s Good Green Jobs initiative. The Facilities Management Pre-apprenticeship training is taught by IFMA volunteers. Lisa VanderHeyden teaches the Essentials of Facilities Management course which provides a thorough introduction to the Facilities Management industry. In addition to teaching for Goodwill Lisa also supports IFMA by teaching live and virtual classes for the Denver IFMA chapter, teaching virtual classes for IFMA Headquarters, helping IFMA develop content for their courses, and mentoring emerging facility managers.

Lisa works full time as a Senior Project Manager for Facilities & Fleet Services at Arapahoe County. “I play with buildings” Lisa jokes. Lisa also teaches virtually for a college in Ottawa, Canada and is a co-facilitator of a YouTube series called ADAYWITHFMZ where Lisa and her partner interview leaders in facility management from all over the world about emerging topics in the industry.

Despite her busy schedule, when it comes to teaching the Goodwill course Lisa says “It’s become one of my favorite activities.” Lisa gets excited watching participants for the pre-apprenticeship program grow and explore. “One particular moment from the first cohort stands out. There was a student who went from being unhoused not long before the program to finding a Facility Management position. There were no dry eyes when his organization’s leadership came to his graduation.” As the Facility Management Pre-Apprenticeship grows, Lisa looks forward to seeing more students advance into industry.