Long before an exciting new building breaks ground or a renovation project launches on campus, Lorin Torbitt can be found “knee deep in a spreadsheet,” planning, analyzing, and reporting on potential future projects in her role as associate director of Capital Planning.

Through strategic analysis, collaboration, and lots of problem solving, the Capital Planning team develops and maintains tools to help steward investment into campus projects, including the recently developed Ten-Year Capital Spend Plan.

“Maintaining the Capital Spend Plan is one of the most rewarding parts of my job,” Torbitt said. “It balances anticipated future project costs with the capital resources that are available or known. It is a living document that serves as a tool to make decisions and prioritize projects within known financial constraints.”

Torbitt’s job is a natural extension of her lifelong “fascination with the impact the built environment has on people.” Before coming to UC Davis, Torbitt worked in a comparable role consulting with universities and colleges across the country.

“I found it less rewarding to be a consultant because you don’t get to experience the long-term impact of your work,” Torbitt said. “I wanted to find a job at a college or university where I could establish a home base.”

Torbitt started working at UC Davis in 2016 and has been working in capital planning since. She has experienced assisting a new construction project through approvals and funding to opening when the Teaching and Learning Center came online in 2022, which is one example of seeing the long-term impact of her work.

Torbitt said of working at UC Davis. “The unique work culture really resonated with me. It’s super collaborative and collegial.”

For Torbitt that collaboration takes the form of working not only with the rest of the Capital Planning team, but also with a lot of different entities across campus and beyond, including Student Affairs, Budget, and the Office of the President.

“I really enjoy the nature of my job. I work with very skilled problem solvers and it’s fun to bounce ideas around with them to find the optimal solution.” Torbitt said.

Outside of work, Torbitt enjoys spending time with her two dogs and two cats, playing board games, and volunteering for a community theater, Imagination Theater, in Placerville.