Mr. Mark Cappello will lead the Facilities Department.
The Choate community recently gained a new Head of Facilities, Mr. Mark Cappello, whose job it is to collaborate with the rest of the facilities management team in assuring that the campus continues running at its smoothest. This is no small feat. As Mr. Cappello himself put it, “Not much happens on campus that the Facilities Department does not facilitate or support in some way, shape, or form.” Despite the challenges that such a fundamental role may pose, Mr. Cappello is up to the task.
Born and raised in Syracuse, New York, Mr. Cappello left his hometown to attend college. After graduation, he worked as a supervisor in the Facilities Department of a Syracuse hospital. He went on to work at both the College of Saint Rose and Yale University. A recruiter hired by Choate reached out to him about the vacant Head of Facilities position, and, after some communication, Mr. Cappello eagerly accepted the job offer. Mr. Cappello said, “The more I learned about Choate, the more excited I got.”
Mr. Cappello is very connected with his family. He has two daughters, Elizabeth and Anna, and said that his greatest role model is his grandmother, as she did everything she could to help others. He hopes to emulate her generous spirit. Mr. Cappello said on the most useful piece of advice he has ever received, “A mentor of mine once advised me to solve a particularly difficult problem by looking farther down the road and deeper into the situation.” Mr. Cappello’s careful application of this personal motto is clear in his success in the facilities departments of several institutions and the unique challenges that each one posed.
Mr. Cappello said a major challenge for any facilities group is determining how to maximize resources to meet the needs of its larger organization. Choate’s Facilities Department maintains nearly every physical aspect of campus. It is the responsibility of facilities to keep both the inside and outside of buildings in top condition, the lawns and grassy stretches of the grounds trimmed and green, and to generally assure the functionality of the campus.
Mr. Cappello explained, “We maintain the systems that keep our students safe and support the academic mission of the institution.” The new director said that he hopes to continue Facilities’ long-established trend of hard work. He added, “I would like the Facilities Department to be recognized as a talented, dedicated, and highly motivated resource.”
Though he has only recently joined the Choate community, Mr. Cappello is devoted to the Facilities Department and, through the numerous ways in which this department contributes to the entire community, the school as a whole. On his experience at Choate thus far, Mr. Cappello said warmly, “I’ve really enjoyed the interaction that I’ve had with my staff and the members of the campus community that I have met. Choate is a very special place.”
