Michael Oestereicher Named Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities

The U of A is hiring Michael Oestereicher as its new associate vice chancellor for facilities. Oestereicher will oversee the planning, design and construction program for campus, as well as the execution of major capital projects. He will also lead the facility maintenance team, the internal construction shops, the campus utility operations group and the building services program within Facilities Management.  

Oestereicher offers 27 years of experience working in construction and facilities management, managing teams with hundreds of workers and handling annual budgets exceeding $1 billion. His familiarity with government operations and higher education institutions will allow him to immediately impact FAMA and the U of A community. 

In 1990, Oestereicher graduated from the University of Colorado, Boulder with a degree in architectural engineering. He then enlisted with the U.S. Navy in 1991, starting his military career as a submarine officer. 

He served in the Navy for 21 years, most recently acting as executive director for the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) until 2022. 

After an extensive career working in facilities for the U.S. Navy, Oestereicher transitioned to higher education in 2022 when he took over as assistant vice president of facilities services at the University of Houston, a position he held for the last three years.  

Oestereicher is succeeding Scott Turley, who retired in December. Charles Zimmerman was hired in an interim role in January to manage Facilities Management while a search for a full-time replacement continued. Oestereicher's first day will be June 2.