Rick Barry receives 2026 CAPPA Newsletter Award

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NWACC’s Rick Barry, director of Operations for Satellite Locations and Administrative Services, received the 2026 Newsletter Award from the Central Association of Physical Plant Administrators (CAPPA) for his article, “From Skepticism to Success: Practical AI Applications in Facilities and Operations.” 

Barry was presented the award during CAPPA's annual conference held in Branson, Mo., hosted by Missouri State University.

The article, which was published in the CAPPA Newsletter, highlights practical ways NWACC is using AI to support facilities management and administrative operations. Examples include developing procedures and documentation, creating professional certification study materials, improving performance in the workflow platform ServiceNow and supporting college hiring committees. 

One notable example was a Microsoft Copilot agent Barry developed to help measure job applicants’ materials against job requirements using established evaluation criteria. This innovation helped hiring committees review information more efficiently, saving time and allowing interviews to be scheduled sooner. 

“Receiving the CAPPA Newsletter Award was a tremendous surprise and something I am very grateful for," Barry said. "What means the most to me is the opportunity to share some of the practical ways we are using AI at NWACC and, hopefully, encourage other facilities professionals to explore how these tools might help them in their own work."

In his writing, Barry emphasizes that AI should support employees’ work and decision-making — not replace professional, human insight. He also highlights the importance of collaboration with information technology teams, training and a willingness to learn through experience. 

“My approach to AI has been to start with real problems, learn through experience and always keep a human in the loop," he said. "AI has helped us with professional development, hiring support, procedures, ServiceNow knowledge and other administrative work, but the technology works best when it supports people rather than replaces their judgment." 

Barry’s article encourages facilities professionals to explore AI responsibly and consider how emerging tools can improve efficiency, support professional development and strengthen operations while keeping people at the center of the work.