David Hall shifts to new role at MSU; finalists named for director of university safety

For more than seven years, David Hall has been at the forefront of safeguarding Missouri State students and staff, first in emergency preparation and then as director of university safety.

In that job, Hall played a pivotal role during the pandemic.

Hall said he was ready for a different challenge. In mid-May, he transition to a new leadership post — the director of facilities management — and a search for his replacement is entering the final stretch.

There were 47 applications and four finalists have been invited to visit the campus and participate in forums. The final visit is in early August with a hire expected to follow.

Hall has been pulling double duty, immersing himself in the new role while still directing safety efforts until a successor has been named.

Matt Morris, vice president for administration and finance, said the position is critical because the director oversees all aspects of campus safety, transportation and dispatch and serves as a liaison with the Springfield police substation that is on campus.

"David Hall has significant strength and transformational leadership. I've seen that firsthand with what he has been able to accomplish within university safety," Morris said. "I'm feeling very confident that we'll be able to find a leader that can take the reins and build upon what David and those before him have established."

Morris said Hall was on the frontlines in the university's response to the pandemic and his deep ties in the Springfield community helped. Hall spent nearly 28 years with the Springfield Fire Department, including a stint as the chief, and has twice served as co-chair of Springfield Public Schools' Community Task Force on Facilities.

"As director of university safety, (Hall) really coordinated our efforts during COVID, which made our jobs a lot easier," Morris said Thursday. "He would coordinate things in a fashion where then the decision-makers could make decisions and move forward."

Hall said he was ready for a different challenge.

"I'd been talking to my boss about 'I'm going to be turning 62 and one of these days I'm going to be looking at doing something a little different. I'm not in any rush but within the next few years.'"

In early 2024, Brad Kielhofner announced plans to retire, meaning the director of facilities management job was going to be open.

"I thought about it and got excited and said I would be interested in doing that," Hall said. "I moved to that and we've posted my job."

Morris said Hall's breadth of experience made him a good fit. He said state and federal funding for capital projects has slowed down, presenting a new challenge.

"How do we take care of the square footage? How do we maintain the building stock? How do we organize personnel where we can ... take care of what we've got to the best of our ability?" Morris said. "David I know is the right individual to accomplish that task."

Facilities management is the largest department under Morris' supervision, with 170 full-time employees and nearly the same number of part-time workers.

Jennifer Cox, university space manager and director of support services, has been overseeing the search process to find Hall's replacement. Three of the finalists were scheduled to be on campus in late July and the final one is scheduled for Aug. 5.

"I would assume a decision would be forthcoming after that last candidate," Morris said.

Cox said the university received a healthy response from qualified applicants. "We had a fair amount of folks who were local and then also a good mix of folks across the U.S."

The four finalists include:

• Andrew Englert, security specialist at Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. He was previously associate director of safety and transportation at Missouri State and assistant director of public safety at Evangel University;
• Marion Blackwell, a retired fire chief from South Carolina, Oklahoma and Idaho with a doctorate in fire and emergency management;
• Todd Revell, associate director of university safety at Missouri State. A retired Springfield police lieutenant, he has also been director of public safety at Evangel University;
• Robert Rowley, director of Maricopa County Department of Emergency Management in Arizona and a faculty associate at the University of Arizona.

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Morris said the finalist who is hired will have access to Hall as they get started in the director role.

"The beautiful thing is the candidate will have someone here who was very successful. Nobody is expecting them to be David but they could ask him a question and get an answer in two minutes versus trying to piece together 'Why was this decision made or why did they do this?" Morris said. "It is a great way to have a training ground in place."

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: David Hall shifts to new role at MSU; finalists named for director of university safety