For Veronica Rivera, director of facilities, maintenance and operations at the College of the Siskiyous, facilities management is the natural continuation of a career built around understanding how buildings work and being prepared for whatever comes next.
Rivera joined the Marine Corps at 17 years old in 1989, serving as an HVAC mechanic while also cross-training as a generator technician and electrician. After leaving the Marines, she worked as an EMT before discovering an opportunity to become an electrician through IBEW Local 569 JATC.
"I was the only one of us to pass," Rivera says. "I was then invited for an interview, killed it and became a first-year electrical apprentice. I found my place in society and realized what I wanted to do for the rest of my working life."
That career took Rivera into commercial and industrial construction, where she worked on projects including SeaWorld's Shamu backstage, Legoland and the Mira Mar Wastewater Treatment Plant. After spending 25 years constructing and installing mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, transitioning into facilities management became a logical next step.
Since joining College of the Siskiyous in 2015, Rivera has brought that hands-on technical background into a facilities department responsible for an aging campus and a growing student population.
"My construction background allows me to know what is behind a wall, what equipment is making what noise or how the equipment works in the boiler room," Rivera says.
Rivera is one of the eight facility professionals to be named to FacilitiesNet's 2026 Facility Champion Award. The Champions play a critical role in ensuring the efficient and effective operation of buildings across the country, all while exhibiting strong leadership and pride within the industry.
"I am honored to be nominated and elated to have won," Rivera says. "I enjoy maintaining district buildings and working with the staff. It is a rewarding job."
In her current title, Rivera has helped lead major projects designed to modernize the campus while working within the realities of an aging infrastructure and limited resources. She has played a key role in the Theater Arts and McCloud Hall reconstruction, including seismic strengthening and roof replacements. She also helped coordinate the October 2025 groundbreaking of a new $30 million, 36,000-square-foot student housing facility and oversaw the completion of new beach volleyball courts.
"One of the most rewarding projects I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of on our campus was renovating the road to our football stadium. It was the first project I completed the procurement process entirely on my own, as well as receiving an extremely positive response from the campus community," Rivera says.
Her approach to maintenance and leadership is similarly strategic. Working with a smaller team across a large rural campus, Rivera has emphasized preventive maintenance, lifecycle asset management and preparedness. That philosophy is rooted in the lessons Rivera learned as a contractor working in a rural environment.
"My work van was a driving CED; I had a completely stocked service van anywhere I went," Rivera says. "Being able and ready to repair any electrical or mechanical issue gave me the proper tenants of preparedness and vigilance that I bring to this job each and every day."
That same preparedness has shaped Rivera's approach to campus safety. In September 2024, she had just assembled a new Building Stewards committee designed to serve as an essential component of the college's emergency operations plan when she received notice of a potential active shooter.
Rivera immediately engaged the Building Stewards and helped move every building into lockdown.
"It wasn't perfect, but it worked," Rivera says. "That experience showed me that this job was something more than just a career. In a dire moment of fear and panic, people relied on me, and that is an experience I can never forget."
For Rivera, leadership is less about having a title and more about being present and contributing as part of a team.
"I would not know about being a leader. It is not my goal at the college," Rivera says. "It is my goal to always be a good team player. Staff and students see me everyday champion our wins and learn through our losses."
That philosophy also connects Rivera's work to the community around the college. She attended the college, her son attended the college and some of her best friends attended the college. Today, she sees maintaining its facilities as a way of giving back to a place that has played an important role in her life.
"Serving the community that has served me for so many years is one of the most rewarding and motivating experiences I could ever ask for," Rivera says.
When Rivera thinks about her legacy, she does not point to a particular project or building.
"While it may sound simple, my only hope is to leave behind a safe, well-maintained learning environment for our students," Rivera says. "I see an energy-efficient, fire-safe, ADA-accessible campus that serves the public. It is the core of why I do what I do."
Rivera is one of eight 2026 Facility Champions who will be profiled on FacilitiesNet leading up to the webcast, "The State of Facilities Management: Insights from 2026 Facility Champions" that will honor the recipients. The webcast will air on November 24 at 12 p.m. CST on FacilitiesNet. You can register to view the webcast here.
Rivera will also be a panelist on the highly anticipated “Women Who Make It Work” panel and the “Facility Aces: What Happens When You’re Dealt a Bad Hand?” panel at NFMT West in Las Vegas on November 4, 2026. You can register for the conference here.
Elaina Myers is the assistant editor of the facilities market. She has covered various topics from pest management to resilience to sustainability and covers all holidays and special days in the facilities field. She also manages the FacilitiesNet social media accounts.
