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Jeff Kubiak sits down with Orin Williams, Assistant Superintendent of Facilities, Planning, and Development at Riverside Unified School District, to unpack a 33-year career in school facilities planning. Orin traces his path from architecture school at Cal Poly Pomona through private practice into public education facilities, sharing how his design background shapes his advocacy for thoughtful, human-centered school environments. The conversation covers turning aging campuses into cohesive learning spaces, building community trust around bond projects, balancing tight budgets against big ambitions, and weaving "gamified" learning (like the fractions-based basketball game "Fraction Ball") directly into campus design. Orin also reflects on an unplanned detour into maintenance leadership, the emotional weight communities carry around legacy schools, and what keeps him hopeful about the future of public education.
Takeaways:
- Great architecture needs a great client. Districts get better schools when they advocate for design excellence, not just function.
- Trust comes from transparency. Honest communication turns skeptics into supporters — don't overpromise.
- Every space can teach. Gamified hallways, playgrounds, and murals turn campuses into learning tools.
- Change is emotional. Treat community pushback like grief — validate feelings before presenting facts.
- Cross-training builds better leaders. Experience across design, construction, and maintenance fosters collaboration over rivalry.
About Orin Williams:
With more than 33 years of experience dedicated to public education via capital facilities planning, construction, and maintenance, Orin Williams has led several major capital bond programs totaling over $2.9 billion. Currently, Orin serves as Assistant Superintendent, Facilities, Planning & Development for the Riverside Unified School District - the 15th largest school district in California. Previously serving for 8 years as Assistant Superintendent, Facilities & Governmental Relations for the Santa Ana Unified School District, Mr. Williams' span of responsibility included leading the Planning & Design, Construction, and Maintenance & Operations departments with teams totaling over 260. Similarly, Orin serving for over 4 years as Associate Vice Chancellor, Facilities, Planning & Development for the Riverside Community College District, Orin led a $800 million bond program developing numerous projects at the District's three colleges and various education centers. Additionally, Mr. Williams served the Riverside Unified School District twice previously as Director of Facilities, and later as Director of M&O for a total of over 17 years. Lastly, Orin served as Facilities Planner for the Pomona Unified School District for 2 years.
Williams holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, was an Engineering major at U.C. Riverside, and holds numerous professional certifications. Orin served as President of the Southern California Chapter and member of the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE), and member of Coalition for Adequate School Housing (CASH), and School Energy Coalition (SEC), and serves as a workshop panel member as well as served on various committees within these educational facility-focused organizations. In 2022, Orin received the California Association of Latino Superintendents and Administrators (CALSA) State Classified Employee of the Year award.
Episode 348 of the Better Learning Podcast
For more information on our partners:
Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) - https://www.a4le.org/
Education Leaders' Organization - https://www.ed-leaders.org/
Second Class Foundation - https://secondclassfoundation.org/
EDmarket - https://www.edmarket.org/
Catapult @ Penn GSE - https://catapult.gse.upenn.edu/
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