The University of South Florida has appointed Daniel LaForge as director of facilities planning and management for the Sarasota-Manatee campus, replacing longtime director Rick Lyttle. LaForge’s appointment becomes effective on Aug. 1. He currently serves as the campus’ associate director of facilities planning and management. He joined the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus in 2016 after having held facilities management positions at Unity College in Maine and MaineGeneral Health.

LaForge holds an MBA from Thomas College in Waterville, Maine, a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Maine at Augusta and an associate’s degree in electrical theory, construction and maintenance from Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle. As director, he will be responsible for providing leadership in the planning, design, construction and management of the campus’ physical environment, including management of the energy plant; safety and space planning; planning and scheduling of campus events; campus master and capital improvement planning; and the preparation of educational plant surveys. Additionally, he will oversee campus development agreements. Recently, he oversaw improvements conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic.