Innovation
For Shawn Thomas, a career at Notre Dame feels less like work and more like a family legacy.
“I love this University. I’ve always wanted to work here because my father, Robert ‘T’ Thomas, used to help run the stadium. I was here as a little kid going to the football games, running errands, doing stuff like that for my dad. It was just the biggest core family thing for us.”
Thomas, whose brother Terron Phillips also works at the University, has spent 20 years in General Services and holds the title of assistant manager. The day-to-day work is always varied—he coordinates the teams that get buildings and venues across campus ready for everything from research to sporting events.
“We come in at six o’clock in the morning to do setups all around campus. So it’s just something that we love doing every day. We could be doing office moves, warehouse deliveries, event setups. We set up barriers every Friday afternoon for the football games.”
Thomas said he does it for the students—they’re always at the heart of his work, whether he’s interacting with them directly or not. He’s dedicated to thinking creatively about what’s needed for each unique setup. That’s what innovation means to him: constantly looking for a process or approach that’s slightly better than the last time.
He gave an example of a recent day when one of his teams loaded seven skids of equipment into a lab. “Some pieces were too big, so we had to break them down on the back dock to get them to go in the elevator to actually get them into the lab. It’s about being here and seeing every angle of a project and knowing how to pivot when we need to, to get the job done.”
Thomas quickly pointed out that challenging, innovative work is also fun, even though his teams work through every season and all the elements that come with them.
“We love to have fun. It doesn’t matter if it’s the hottest time [of the year] or the coldest time, we’re going to find the humor in something to get through something.”
That’s just one expression of the mantra he lives by when it comes to teamwork. “If I see you getting dirty, I’m going to get dirty with you,” he said. It’s that sort of “all in this together” mindset that Thomas credits to the integrity and accountability he brings to his work—all part of the tradition of exceptional work he knows would make his late father proud.
Additional features
Gracie Gallagher, Catholic Mission
Originally published by at ndworks.nd.edu on February 20, 2026.