District Welcomes New Director of Custodial Services

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William Givens started work as the new Director of Custodial Services in December 2023.

DMPS is welcoming William Givens as the new Director of Custodial Services. Givens is responsible for leading the team that maintains healthy and safe spaces for our 30,000 students and nearly 5,000 employees in almost 70 buildings.

Givens comes to Des Moines with more than 25 years of experience in K-12 facilities management. Most recently he worked at Columbia College in Columbia, MO, as a director of custodial services, Excelsior Springs, MO, where he was the manager of maintenance, warehouse, transportation & logistics for the Job Corp Center, and Madison, WI, where he was the assistant director of building services for the Madison Metropolitan School District.

He also served in building and facilities management for Sodexo for school districts and senior care facilities for many years.

“I look forward to continuing to grow our excellent custodial team,” Givens said. “My colleagues and the leaders at DMPS have shown themselves to be truly remarkable individuals who apply empathy and excellence to their work each and every day.”

Givens also earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Capella University in Minneapolis, MN and is a Certified Plant Maintenance Manager by the Association for Facilities Engineering.

“William is playing a vital role in helping our Custodial team provide clean and safe learning environments for our educational community,” said Dave Berger, Executive Director of Operations. “He brings a wealth of knowledge and a unique perspective that has been shaped by his experience in both private and public sector environments. He has hit the ground running and is focused on making sure that all of our facilities are well maintained, hygienic, and welcoming. We could not be more excited to have William joining us as a member of the DMPS family.”

Williams Givens started his work at Des Moines Public Schools in December of 2023, following School Board approval.