David Kang, vice chancellor for infrastructure and sustainability at CU Boulder, will depart CU Boulder in May to take on the role of associate vice president of facilities at California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Vice Chancellor for Infrastructure and Sustainability David Kang
Campus leadership will announce the appointment of an interim vice chancellor soon, as well as plans for the search for a permanent successor to Kang.
Kang joined CU Boulder in 2016 as vice chancellor for infrastructure and safety, with the department later being renamed. He has been responsible for all facilities operations, utilities, real estate, transportation, environmental health and safety programs, and planning, design and construction.
Kang has led multiple transformative campuswide initiatives, including the recently approved Campus Master Plan.
“I am pleased that we were able to craft this 30 year vision that will allow us to be nimble, guide our facilities decisions and priorities, and quickly adapt to the ever changing landscape of education and research while staying true to a larger overall vision that will serve CU Boulder for decades to come,” Kang said.
Other major accomplishments during Kang’s tenure at CU Boulder include the annexation of CU Boulder South and leading the Strategic Facilities Visioning effort that served as a precursor to the Campus Master Plan. He also guided the development of numerous major capital construction projects, including both new builds and renovations. He was instrumental in ushering into development the conference center and hotel and securing state funding for the upcoming renovations of the Hellems Arts and Sciences building and the Mary Rippon Theater.
Chief Operating Officer Patrick O’Rourke offered his gratitude for Kang’s leadership through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Dave approached our campus needs with great care and consideration,” O’Rourke said. “His decisions and recommendations were especially critical to creating a safe working and learning environment. He and his team stepped up time and again to ensure our university could continue to thrive under the most trying of circumstances. I am deeply grateful to Dave for his service to this university, our students and his colleagues during his time here at CU Boulder.”
O’Rourke noted Kang’s leadership in areas not normally associated with the domain of the vice chancellor for infrastructure and sustainability.
“I have been impressed by Dave’s devotion to issues of diversity, equity and inclusion and in prioritizing the creation of a welcoming community within I&S, and in particular his focus on professional development and mentoring,” O’Rourke said. “He has also developed close relationships across the university, the city of Boulder and the state that have been instrumental in CU Boulder’s success. Dave embodies a leader who places others above himself and brings people into meaningful conversations to create positive change.”
Prior to joining CU Boulder in 2016, Kang served as the director of project management in The White House Military Office. Previously, he had held a wide range of high-level positions within the U.S. Navy, including several positions leading various public works and facilities organizations around the world.
Kang, who earned his master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a bachelor’s degree in structural engineering from the University of California, San Diego, looks forward to returning to California with his wife Jeesoo and daughters Dara and Kara.
“I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to come to CU Boulder and work with the most amazing group of faculty, staff and students to make the campus community become more effective, sustainable, caring and resilient,” said Kang. “I have truly enjoyed my time at CU and I will greatly miss my friends and teammates.”
