Dr. Campbell to Head Simon Institute "Think Tank"


“The Simon Institute is pleased to announce the appointment of Jeff Campbell, Ph.D., BYU Facilities Management Program-Chair, as the first Director of Research for the Simon Institute”, said Paul Condie, President of the Simon Institute. The Simon Institute is an non-profit research group aiding in the development of nationally recognized educational materials and certification programs to further the practice of cleaning for health. “We gather scientific data from (OS1) organizations to be used for benchmarking best practices in cleaning organizations,” Condie explained.

According to Jim Ginnaty of the South East Alaska Regional Healthcare Consortium (SEARHC) and a member of the Simon Institute Executive Committee  “The Simon Institute works to grow the Janitor University curriculum and (OS1) Users Symposium. “ Developing a core of leadership within the cleaning industry, the Simon Institute was formed to provide professional development for those who are willing to teach and share best practices, innovations, benchmarking activities and trends. We work with like minded end-users, academics and manufacturers that are willing to be innovative pioneers in addressing the concerns of the cleaning industry.” 

Upon Dr. Campbell’s appointment the first item on his agenda was to form the Cleaning Industry’s first Think Tank to advise the Simon Institute.

The first meeting of the Think Tank took place on Friday, November 13th. Those invited to participate with the Simon Institute Think Tank have a diverse background in facility cleaning related fields. A strong emphasis in engineering, science and practical application of facility management was also part of the invitation process.

Jeff Campbell, PhD,
Brigham Young University
Director of Research
Simon Institute

Think Tank Advisory Group

Jim Alty, P.E., Wake Forest University
Kelly Atkinson, Utah State Governments
Mike Carson, P.E., Sandia National Laboratories
Gene Cole, Brigham Young University
Paul Condie, KBM
Ashoke Ganguli, University of Massachusetts
Jim Ginnaty-SEARHC
Ron Howell, University of North Carolina
Ernest Hunter, P.E., University of Texas, (retired USN)
Ed Jackson, Brigham Young University
Tom Jones, Ed.D, University of Las Vegas, Nevada
John Lawter, University of Michigan
Katy Lilinquist, Ph.D., Brigham Young University
Carey Mitchell, Shaw Carpet
Gary Nellesen, P.E., Mt. San Antonio College
Charles Pugh, Workman’s Compensation Fund - Utah
Mark Salmon, Sodexho, Troy University
Howard Simmons, P.E., Sodexho, Hobart & Williams Smith College
Steve Thygerson, Ph.D., Brigham Young University
Ben Walker, ManageMen
Jim Whittaker, P.E., Facility Engineering Associates

Current Projects of the Simon Institute Think Tank

1 - IEQ Project
Research and write a book on indoor environmental quality. The book is general review of misunderstandings about (IEQ) Needs to cover an introduction to K-12 schools and provide a basic benchmark study (not a technical reading). The plan is it will raise the level of awareness
Of IAQ issues.

2 - Improving Custodial Budgets Project
Document the University of  Massachusetts 2008-09 project instituted by Ashoke Ganguli to create a path of simplifying the cleaning process to decreased budget and improve overall quality. Tie the U Mass study into the University of Michigan APPA Appearance Level project and case study.

3 - Cleaning and Facility Security
Explore the area of security in cleaning and document how they wrap together. Key item is to begin a pilot to understand the inter-relationships. Perhaps partner with Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security.

4 - Cleaning and Health
Expand our understanding of the impact of cleaning on healthcare. Base this on an outgrowth of indoor environmental quality projects based on understanding infectious disease in the workplace. People who manage buildings are unaware of how to do this (ASHE (http://www.ashe.org/) NFPA101 (code) is so concerned with saving lives in building fires but only one person died last year due to a fire in a hospital. Compare with nosocomial diseases.

5 - Sustainability and Energy Laboratory at BYU
Create one of a kind first class sustainability laboratory spoke with a rep from EPA who has an interest in pursuing this as a project.