The Art of the Project Manager
By Jenna Fesemyer
It’s all about the process for Clarence Odom, associate director of Capital Programs, project management. For almost five years at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Odom has been doing what he loves: taking projects “cradle to grave,” as it’s called in the industry.
For Odom, a Mississippi native, it all started after he left the Marine Corps. After studying architecture for his bachelor’s degree, Odom went back to school to get a master’s degree in construction management, as he was fascinated with the process of where the hammer meets the nail. Odom worked for the City of New Orleans for 20 years as a project manager, working on re-building and boarding up the destroyed schools and city buildings from the wrath of hurricane Katrina. From New Orleans, he then found his way to the rural life of central Illinois in F&S Capital Programs.
Odom now oversees two senior project managers and 10 other project managers as they work to design with architects, manage construction, and monitor the designing process of university buildings and facilities. All of which is worth it to him when he sees the joy and excitement in people’s eyes when they see the final project. His main priority continues to stay aligned with the F&S strategic plan: Delivering projects on schedule and on budget to a happy customer.
As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Capital Programs experienced a lot of paused or delayed projects, especially as it was increasingly difficult to receive materials from overseas. The adjustments of the price of steel and wood due to inflation continues to make designing and construction an every day challenge.
What’s Odom’s secret to balancing the lingering projects from COVID and launching new construction? “Be passionate about it – you have to really love what you’re doing when you’re in the construction industry. We make sure that Illinois students get the best experience possible by being good stewards, process-driven, consistent, and asking ourselves how we can do it better.”