Greenwich Names New Schools Facilities Chief

A school facilities director from New York City has been named the new facilities chief for .

The appointment of Ronald Matten, announced this week by Schools Superintendent Dr. William McKersie, is effective immediately. Matten will earn $130,000 annually. Matten will report to Managing Director of
Operations Ben Branyan and will be responsible for building maintenance, capital projects and custodial services for all Greenwich Public Schools.

Matten had been the facilities director at the Ramaz School in New York City. He has more than 20 years of experience as a school facilities professional.

Branyan said, “Mr. Matten has a diverse background working in educational settings and has acquired impressive skills in engineering, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, construction management, technology, and custodial and financial management. He will make an excellent addition to the facilities team and will have a positive impact on the overall operations of the department.”

Matten replaces after 2 years on the job. An audit by the town's risk manager produced a 23-page internal audit report of Greenwich Board of Education service contracts that showed all 17 of the school district's buildings

which former interim schools superintendent Dr. Roger Lulow ordered last fall, also indicated there was delayed installation of carbon monoxide detectors in schools—which were done without proper building permits—and the cafeteria kitchen was shut down for 10 days because of equipment violations.

Matten will come into the district with several major capital improvements projects on the boards. Among them, the controversial and contaminate-laden auditorium construction project at Greenwich High School; the replacement of bathrooms at two elementary schools and window and ceiling replacement at one middle school.

Matten began his career at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in New York, NY in 1988, where he was responsible for the facilities operations of the midtown Manhattan day school. In 2000, he became the assistant director for plant operations at Columbia University managing custodial, mechanical, and support operations. In 2003, he began working for Aramark/Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, NY as director of facilities managing an $11 million operating budget and was the client’s representative for a $30 million construction project for the college’s new Bronx campus.

In 2006, Matten accepted a position as a Project Manager for GCA Services Group, a national provider of facility services for public and private organizations including K-12 schools and higher education. During his time with GCA Services, Matten became the Director of Engineering for Saint John’s University managing the mechanical and allied trades for four campuses with more than 3 million square feet of property. He was then transferred to Texas as a regional manager for GCA, responsible for four school districts, including Houston ISD in Southeast Texas, one of the nation’s largest districts. He was responsible for more than 200 employees, budgeting, contract negotiation, business
development, training and operations.

In 2010, he accepted a position at the Ramaz School, returning to New
York in order to develop a best practices plan to address short and long-term needs for the school.

Matten received a bachelor's degree from Manhattan College, graduating magna cum laude in 1996.