Klapmeyer recently retired as a colonel in the U.S. Air Force after more than 25 years of service. In his former position, he led the largest civil engineer organization in the Air Force, providing all facilities management, planning, and emergency services for Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan.
“Mike brings deep experience in facilities management, emergency response, sustainability, teamwork, and operations and safety improvement,” said Leach.
Reporting directly to the vice president of administration and finance, Klapmeyer will be responsible for leading, supervising, and coordinating the maintenance, repair, renewal, planning, and construction for all College facilities. He will provide strategic and operational team-oriented leadership of the physical plant and its personnel. Among other responsibilities, he will focus on the continual improvement of the facilities to ensure that short- and long-term plans are in place for addressing and completing deferred maintenance, renovation and renewal projects, and for implementing a strong planned maintenance program.
"I am eager to build upon the tradition of excellence at Hamilton College," Klapmeyer said. "It's an honor to join the dedicated professionals within Facilities Management as we work tirelessly to deliver a safe, attractive, and sustainable campus to enable Hamilton's pivotal mission."
Prior to his last position in Japan, Klapmeyer served in a variety of roles, including as senior strategist for the Air Force’s directorate of civil engineers in the Pentagon and as an assistant professor of civil engineering at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Klapmeyer earned a B.S. in environmental engineering from the University of Florida, an M.S. in environmental engineering from Clemson University, another M.S. in national resource strategy from National Defense University, and a Ph.D. in civil engineering from Virginia Tech.
A campus search committee conducted the national search with assistance from search firm Helbling and Associates, Inc.
