By Gregg Suttle

I have been employed at Southern Methodist University for nearly 22 years, and if there’s one constant throughout my journey, it’s change.

I was originally hired as a general technician working with fraternity houses and apartments. From the very beginning, I truly enjoyed both the work and the team I was part of. About sixteen months into my role, I was transferred to the residential community to fill in while another technician was on leave.  What started as a short-term assignment turned into a pivotal moment in my career.

During that time, I took the initiative to work closely with my manager on leadership tasks. I began assisting with building budget reconciliation and developed a system to track work order billing.  This allowed us to better understand costs and identify billing errors within the department.  That experience not only expanded my skill set but also gave me the confidence to apply for a manager position in 2004.

Over the next several years, my role continued to evolve.  I took on oversight of fraternity housing, which presented a completely different set of challenges compared to traditional student housing.  Anyone who has worked in that environment knows it requires a different approach.  By relying on my transferable skills, especially customer service and a focus on key priorities, I was able to strengthen relationships with advisors and chapter leadership. Those relationships continue to benefit me in my role today.

In 2015, a university reorganization brought another major shift.  I moved into Facilities Services and took on several new responsibilities over the following years, including overseeing the University lock shop, something I had no prior experience with.  I didn’t know how to cut keys or manage the technical aspects of the operation, but I focused on what the department needed from me and committed to learning everything I could.

Drawing on my background in Student Affairs and Facilities, we made meaningful improvements in customer satisfaction. We focused on departments with the highest levels of dissatisfaction and addressed quality control issues in work orders.  We also modernized our processes by eliminating paper key logs and transitioning them to Excel-based tracking systems.  This change significantly improved efficiency and transformed how our team operated.

In 2019, I had the opportunity to return to the housing department, where I continue to work today.  Since then, I’ve experienced changes in leadership, each bringing new expectations and perspectives on how we serve our residential communities.  One notable improvement was moving summer conference repair tracking from a large whiteboard to an integrated occupancy software system—streamlining communication and planning in a big way.  This change removed me from managing the process and allowed for a more streamlined process for all campus partners.  Removing the “This is the way we have always done this” to allowing the process of change to shape the overall process and embraces it has been very positive for me and the team.

Looking back, every step of my career has reinforced one important lesson: our job roles will always change.  The key is to be ready for that change and to trust that you already have the skills and knowledge to step beyond your comfort zone.

I share my story to encourage others not to fear change—whether in your career or your personal life.  It’s natural to feel uncertain when facing the unknown.  Growth requires us to try something new, and that can be uncomfortable.  

Change isn’t something to avoid, it’s something to embrace.  Because on the other side of change is growth, opportunity, and a stronger version of yourself.

Gregg Suttle
Associate Director of Operations at Southern Methodist University