Randy Ellis is a Senior Consultant for Draper & Associates' Analytical & Management Services Division where he provides program planning and management for complex, multi-functional programs and projects to include scope development; resource requirement definition; process design and reengineering, management reporting, scheduling and control of program elements; budget development; and issue identification, tracking and resolution.

EXPERIENCE

Mr. Ellis has more than 30 years of experience effectively providing management expertise for a number of engineering and project-oriented organizations. His experience includes overall program and operations management for planning and implementing change; conducting operational and organizational reviews, developing client relations, improving productivity and budget control; and identifying problems, generating new alternatives, and directing effective solutions.

Mr. Ellis has been instrumental in building a higher education management consulting practice. Capitalizing upon his diverse experience in consulting, he has successfully grown this practice through development of a broad-based marketing strategy, numerous visits to campuses throughout the Southeast, and participation in professional organizations focused on the higher education environment.

He recently completed a comprehensive review of the Custodial Services Program for Guilford Technical Community College, the fourth largest such institution in North Carolina.  Twenty-nine recommendations emerged from this review, ranging from structural changes within the organization to the establishment of a quality assurance program.

Mr. Ellis performed a review and analysis of the delivery of services to campus constituents by the Facilities Management Division. A total of fifty-one recommendations addressed business processes, organizational structure, staffing levels, training, customer relations, and software.

He conducted an organizational analysis of the Plant Operations Department for Clayton State University to evaluate the current organizational structure, staffing levels and capabilities, equipment needs, and training. This comprehensive analysis resulted in seventy-four recommendations for reorganizing the Department to provide the structure and resources and to strike the proper balance between facilities planning/design services and facilities operations/maintenance services.

Mr. Ellis also recently completed an engagement managing a diagnostic review of the work order management process for Spelman College. This comprehensive evaluation resulted in twenty-six recommendations for ensuring the effective use of Spelman College's maintenance resources and enhancing effective and efficient communication among campus stakeholders. As a result, the College engaged Draper & Associates to manage the follow-on procurement of a work order management software application.

Mr. Ellis served as the Engagement Manager for a number of broad-reaching management consulting projects for The University of Alabama. Initially, he led a diagnostic review of the business processes that interface the Financial Affairs Division with the Facilities Department. The work performed during this Diagnostic Review and Evaluation focused on current practices, identified alternatives, provided options, and made 50 specific recommendations to realize greater efficiencies and economies. Mr. Ellis then managed a supply-side energy cost control evaluation focusing on current practices, identifying alternatives, and providing options and recommendations to potentially realize annual saving of $500,000 - $1 million and allowing University administrators to better control utility-related costs. He also managed the development of an Operational Cost Model to project operations and maintenance (O&M) costs associated with new buildings being planned for the campus. The model allows The University to implement a more scientific and data-based methodology for estimating costs and presenting that information to the Board of Trustees for its consideration when evaluating proposed construction.

Mr. Ellis has also provided his expertise to the firm's engagement with Auburn University where he led the effort to establish a Space Management & Campus Planning Office for the University. The planning and implementation services included the definition of roles and responsibilities, the development of policies, processes and procedures, preparation of position descriptions and development of the organizational structure.

In addition, Mr. Ellis was the Senior Consultant for an engagement to review and validate the requirements for the additional facility proposed for the University's College of Engineering in the context of timing and priority given other possible facility requirements for Auburn University.

In one of the most comprehensive reviews of an organization and its programs, Mr. Ellis served as Senior Consultant in a functional assessment and organizational diagnostic review of the Physical Plant Department of the University of Arkansas. The review helped determine the level of service and corresponding level of expenditure appropriate in managing and maintaining the Physical Plant Department and identified opportunities to improve cost-effectiveness. The engagement continued with developing the program and related project plans and schedules that provide a comprehensive and integrated approach to transform the current Physical Plant Department into a modern Facilities Department.

Prior to his work with the firm's current Higher Education clients, Mr. Ellis was the senior consultant on an engagement for the Georgia Department of Early Care & Learning to conduct a comprehensive study of the Georgia Pre-K Program. A comprehensive Report conveyed completed findings, conclusions and recommendations covering all aspects of the functional organization structure, operating and administrative processes, financial practices and management practices that support programs administered by Georgia's Pre-K Program. Specific strengths and weaknesses were identified and defined in terms of their impact on operating and financial performance, service delivery, and compliance with applicable regulatory/governance requirements. Specific opportunities for improvement were also delineated along with their projected or estimated impact.

In addition to Mr. Ellis' extensive consulting experience within the Higher Education market, he has also provided his expertise on engagements involving governmental organizations and agencies. Previous clients include the Georgia Real Estate Commission, the Georgia State Finance & Investment Commission, the Georgia Department of Early Care & Learning, Oconee County, SC, and the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games.