A Profile of Kristia Davern

Kristia Davern is a dynamic leader in facilities management with a passion for shaping environments that truly serve people. She believes in decluttering spaces, replacing excessive signage with meaningful art installations, and using landmarks for intuitive wayfinding. Thinking in 3D, she envisions facilities where window treatments, cleaning schedules, and overall design flow seamlessly together.

Her initial exposure into the field was unconventional starting in non-profits before earning a degree in construction management and entering the world of facilities management (FM). Working for the City of Bloomington gave her firsthand experience in community service, while her role as a consultant at Vizient, a healthcare performance improvement company, now allows her to help hospitals reduce costs, optimize supply chains, and improve operational efficiency. She champions sustainability, advocating for HVAC upgrades and maintenance-friendly design reviews, particularly in aging government buildings.

“Working for the city was really fun because it was all about community – getting to know residents and helping run police and fire stations and public health facilities,” said Kristia.

Beyond her career, Kristia is deeply committed to mentoring future leaders, serving as an advisor to the Women in Leadership program at Minnesota State University, Mankato. She’s an active member of the National Association of Women in Construction, where she connects with facilities managers, designers, tradeswomen, crane operators, and more—fostering collaboration across the industry, but she’s very aware that women are still in the minority in both facilities management and construction.

She sees FM as being where IT was in the ’90s—on the brink of a transformation from behind-the-scenes operations to a core business priority. The pandemic proved the importance of indoor environments, and Kristia believes it’s time for FM to step into the spotlight.

“COVID is another good example of a shift in awareness, because suddenly people cared about their air filters and how many air exchanges there were and what type of protections they had and what all of this was. I don't know anybody who asked an air filter question prior to COVID,” she said.

She added, “The facility management industry could use additional exposure. We’re aware of the role of facilities teams when there’s something newsworthy happening outside buildings, but when it comes to the inner workings of making a facility run smoothly, most people are unaware of roles and responsibilities,” she said. “Facilities should be a priority for business leaders. After all, one of the biggest capital investments are buildings.”

Kristia sees tremendous value in bringing user-friendly technology into the facilities world to help streamline facility operations.

“I’m starting to see the influence and impact of Silicon Valley into some spaces, especially around building automation systems and monitoring. I’m curious to see where it goes. I hope that the people who are designing systems listen to the trades people and the facilities managers who are out there living it. There’s a lot of opportunity out there,” she said. “And I'm interested to see how AI interacts with facilities management. It’s been fun to play with it. This technology should be like another tool in our belt.”

Kristia and her family are serious about skiing and other outdoor adventures, and her kids take the sport to even greater heights as ski jumpers. When it’s time for a break from the cold, Kristia is inside knitting, crocheting, and turning 2D ideas into 3D realities.

“I love this industry because I get to work with different people all the time. I get to build things, I get to remodel things, I get to maintain things and keep them going,” she said. “It's an interesting kind of behind-the-scenes service industry. The other thing that's fun is you get to learn new things all the time.”

Kristia’s advice for those entering the FM field is simple: She believes it’s important to work with different people and stay curious.

“Facilities management is more than maintaining buildings—it’s about making them work better for the communities they serve,” she said.