2010 IFMA Fellows Announced

The International Facility Management Association is pleased to announce the 2010 class of IFMA Fellows. Gary P. Broersma, CFM, of Covance Laboratories; Charles N. Claar, P.E., CFM, CFMJ; and Patrick Okamura, CFM, CSS, CIAQM, LEED AP, of General Dynamics C4 Systems, will receive the honor of IFMA Fellowship during the association’s Awards of Excellence banquet on Friday, Oct. 29, at IFMA’s World Workplace 2010 Conference Expo in Atlanta, GA.

Established to recognize members dedicated to IFMA and the facility management profession, the fellowship program creates an elite core of respected leaders who act as advisers to—and ambassadors of—the association. Being named an IFMA Fellow is the highest honor the association can bestow on a member. To date, 83 other professionals have received the distinction.

“This was my first opportunity to take part in the IFMA Fellows process, and I was very impressed with the thoroughness of the evaluation and dedication of the nominating committee and jurors,” said IFMA President and CEO Tony Keane, CAE. “This year’s recipients reflect the distinguished characteristics of IFMA Fellowship and have made the association proud through their many accomplishments. We have high expectations that this year’s class of fellows will continue to provide valuable support to the profession and facility management community in the years to come.”

With a broad range of facility management experience and expertise, the 2010 class of IFMA Fellows represents multiple industries and backgrounds.

Gary P. Broersma, CFM, is the director of strategic facility planning and development at Covance Laboratories. With more than 30 years of experience as a facility management professional, he has been an active member of IFMA since 1989 and served on the board of directors from 2002 to 2009 as the IFMA chair, past chair, first vice chair, second vice chair and director. Broersma also served on the IFMA Foundation’s board of trustees from 2004 to 2005 and has remained active in both the Capital Chapter of IFMA and the Research Development Council of IFMA. He has assisted IFMA in a number of additional capacities including serving on the CEO search committee, CEO performance task force, succession planning committee, ethics committee, international development task force, IFMA audit committee and government relations committee.

Charles N. Claar, P.E., CFM, CFMJ, has had a more than 50-year career in the areas of engineering and facility management, including serving as director of academic affairs of the IFMA Foundation and both vice president of professional development and the director of research at IFMA. Claar has been an active IFMA member since 1987. In addition to serving on the IFMA Foundation board of trustees in various capacities, Claar has received various awards, authored numerous academic and trade articles, taught courses related to engineering and facility management, and worked on behalf of IFMA and the IFMA Foundation to promote the facility management industry both in the United States and abroad.

Patrick Okamura, CFM, CSS, CIAQM, LEED AP, is the facility manager of General Dynamics C4 Systems. With more than 25 years of experience as a facility management professional, Okamura holds three master’s degrees and has been an active member of IFMA since 2002, serving on IFMA’s international sustainability committee, sustainability task force, international credentials committee and blue ribbon committee. He is also an active member of the Greater Phoenix Chapter of IFMA and the Environmental, Health and Safety Council of IFMA, in which he has served in a variety of capacities. The recipient of numerous awards from multiple organizations, Okamura regularly represents IFMA at chapter and industry events, has authored many scholarly articles on facility management and sustainability and is a strong promoter of both the profession and IFMA.