The Campus Chronicle

Volume 3, No. 31
August 1, 2003

Alumnus Christopher Goldsmith (M.Arch. 1996) works for the United States Secret Service as a facilities management analyst.
Photo courtesy of Christopher Goldsmith

Alumnus uses skills in Secret Service

By Hannah Pittard

Seeking job stability, architecture alumnus Chris Goldsmith (M.Arch. 1996) recently accepted a position as a facilities management analyst with the facilities management branch of the administrative operations division of the United States Secret Service in January.

“After losing my job with AM Contracting due to the closing of their Savannah office, I gave some thought to looking for a government job in my field of work,” he said. “After looking at many private sector positions available, I found that a government job would be more stable.” Goldsmith discovered his current job while searching the Internet. Within a week of applying, he was hired.

“After filling out numerous pages of personal information for their background check, I received a temporary clearance to work in December 2002. I started work at the end of January and I just received full clearance [in June],” said Goldsmith, who was quick to point out that an eight to nine month waiting period for a USSS employees’ background check is standard procedure.

As a facilities management analyst, Goldsmith is responsible for a wide variety of duties associated with facilities that are owned or leased by the Secret Service, including construction and renovation projects, lease renewals and issues involving space management.

Goldsmith also works as the liaison between the office of the protective operations and administrative operations division. “I manage all USSS facility related functions and projects as they relate to protective operations,” he said. “I am involved with ongoing projects at the White House, Eisenhower Executive Office Building and the Naval Observatory.”

According to Goldsmith, the most challenging part of his job is the politics involved. “I work for the government and there is a lot of paperwork, approvals, review and various agency involvement. So it takes time to get issues resolved,” he said. At the same time, however, Goldsmith willingly admits that part of the thrill of his position is the constant evolution of security and protection with the new threats that are recognized daily: “It is my job to assist with reacting to those threats as they relate to USSS facilities. It makes it a very interesting job due to operations tempo and the importance emphasized on the ‘big picture’ of what I am involved with.”

Goldsmith’s interest in the government and civil service work predates his search for job stability. While growing up, he always said he said he wanted to fly fighter jets for the military. And though he did join the Air Force, he ended up taking the path of a communications officer with the Georgia Air National Guard, of which he is still a member. But it is SCAD with whom he credits his present career savvy and success.

“I’ve always been an advocate for the Savannah College of Art and Design,” he said. “The college’s programs, year after year, get stronger … It’s a tremendous benefit to have the access to the various curriculums offered by the college to assist in all facets of a graduate’s career. SCAD has afforded me that opportunity and was worth every day of my five years at the college … It’s not necessarily a particular subject that I learned at SCAD that I use everyday in my job, but it’s the overall education package that SCAD gave me. It’s communication skills, presentation skills, organizational skills, etc., that I use most often. In addition, it’s the fundamentals: vision, arrangement, aesthetics, function and form.”

Goldsmith’s plans for the future include a continued relationship with the Secret Service, although he does hope eventually to move into the criminal investigation field as a special agent. “It is amazing,” he said, “being a part of an organization and witnessing the role the USSS serves first hand.”