Strength in Team Staff Spotlight: Chase Loyd, Operations Department

In this biweekly staff spotlight, we will be highlighting the people who contribute to the strength of our team by making our schools and our district such a special place for students. 

Chase Loyd, Maintenance Worker, Upper Arlington Schools

How do you contribute to your school/department and the school district as a whole? Always being a helping hand if someone needs it — whether that be on a difficult project with another maintenance technician, offering ideas and suggestions to help get the project completed; in the classrooms if a teacher has a request of hanging a new whiteboard to use as a tool to keep children engaged during class as a space to display information of what they are talking and learning about; or getting called on an emergency water leak and getting the space cleaned up, the leak fixed and everything put back together before the next school day so the children are right back into a calm safe learning environment that is ready for them. 

Always being able to help in any way I can for anyone I can is how I contribute to my department and our district as a whole.

What inspires you / motivates you in your role? I thoroughly enjoy what I get to do on a daily basis. What I do for work directly affects the school day for a lot of teachers and students in ways a lot of people don’t imagine, and if I can help that day go as smoothly as possible that motivates me to do my job to the best of my ability. 

What is a memorable moment, or your proudest moment, in the 3½ years you have been with UA Schools? The summer project of deconstruction at what is now the UA Hub. There were a lot of man hours spent on taking everything apart with the help of essentially the whole maintenance department team. Getting to work with all of my team members in that way was an extremely memorable experience for me. 

What brings you joy outside of work? Quality time spent with my family and friends. 

Reflections from Executive Director of Operations Mike Abbott on Chase: Chase represents the very best of what it means to serve a school district with pride, dedication and a commitment to growth. Chase is a maintenance technician who has never been satisfied with simply doing the job — he has always worked to do it better.

What makes Chase truly exceptional is not only his strong work ethic and technical ability, but his constant desire to learn, improve and advance his skills. Whether it’s mastering new HVAC systems, understanding building automation, improving safety practices or staying current with new technologies, Chase has taken it upon himself to keep growing — because he knows that when he grows, our schools grow stronger, too.

He doesn’t wait to be told what to do. He sees what needs to be done and steps forward. He shares his knowledge with others, helps solve difficult problems and brings a calm confidence to every challenge. That kind of leadership — especially behind the scenes — is invaluable.

In a district as complex as ours, facilities are more than just buildings — they are environments where students learn, teachers inspire, and communities gather. Because of Chase’s dedication, our schools are safer, more comfortable, more efficient and better prepared for the future.