Lean Pioneer: Building a Strategic Green Belt Engine in Facilities Management
Some leaders support improvement. Others build the conditions for it to thrive.
In Facilities Management at UC Davis, that foundation was first established thorough the creation of a Green Belt Committee. This group brought together trained staff to collaborate on process improvement work. When Clint Lord, Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities Management, stepped into his role, he did not start from scratch. He recognized the strength of what already existed and made it strategic.
Clint continued to build on that foundation by intentionally aligning Green Belt efforts to departmental and campus priorities. This created a coordinated approach to improvement across Facilities Management.
Building a Connected Network
Today, Facilities Management has the highest concentration of Green Belts within Finance, Operations and Administration (FOA). More importantly, those Green Belts are not working in isolation. They are connected, aligned, and actively contribute to high-impact initiatives.
The Green Belt Committee, established in 2023, serves as a forum to generate, refine, and advance improvement ideas tied directly to FOA strategic goals. Projects are often sourced from staff themselves, creating a steady pipeline of meaningful work. The group meets regularly to evaluate opportunities, share best practices, and move projects forward in collaboration with leadership.
For example, the Key Control Manager Form initiative addressed confusion around authorized key control contacts across departments. The team developed a centralized online information hub with FAQs, a campus-wide directory, and clear process guidance. The result: improved clarity, streamlined processes, and reduced inefficiencies - demonstrating how staff-driven ideas translate into practical, operational improvements.
For those involved, the experience has been both practical and energizing:
“My experience has been incredibly positive, driving innovative solutions that streamline processes, strengthen team effectiveness, and consistently deliver meaningful results.”
— Nathanael Rodriguez, Green Belt
This is what Lean looks like when it becomes part of how an organization operates.
Not as a one-time training. Not as isolated projects. But as a structured, ongoing capability that is embedded into the way work gets done.
Facilities Management is demonstrating what is possible when leaders recognize, organize, and elevate the talent already within their teams.
A Model for UC Davis
The takeaway is simple:
Every unit has Green Belts. Every unit has people ready to improve their work.
When leaders bring them together, align them to strategy, and create space for them to contribute, improvement accelerates and results follow.
Facilities Management is showing what that can look like in practice.
And in doing so, they are setting a model for the rest of UC Davis.
Resources
Learn more about the UC Davis Lean Six Sigma Green Belt program.