Ruthie Wiley Bassford
Director (ext. 2796)

Ruthie holds a Bachelors Degree from the University of Florida School of Architecture. Prior to coming to The University of Memphis, she worked sixteen years as an Architectural Project Manager for the University of Tennessee and also worked as a City Planner in the Department of Community Development at the City of Germantown. Ruthie served many years on the City of Germantown Planning Commission.

Ruthie performs various roles in the office of Space Planning. A few of her responsibilities include coordinating the effective use of University space by analyzing space assignments and utilization, conducting space studies to determine needs, programming space, and planning for the future space needs of University departments. She ensures the maintenance of the Physical Facilities Inventory (PFI) database. She is diplomatically regarded as the "Princess of Space."

Helen Davis
Space Analyst (ext. 2546)

Helen is the newest member of the Space Planning and Utilization Office. She graduated from the University of Memphis in 1996 and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art majoring in Interior Design. Since graduation, she has worked as a Designer/Specifier/Project Manager for architectural firms in the United States and Australia specializing in corporate, hospitality, and entertainment venues. She previously worked in Space Planning and Utilization as Space Analyst for two and a half years.

Her work for the University includes interviewing clients to determine interdepartmental dynamics, providing departmental and individual space studies and developing space analyses to ascertain if modifications to space distribution and assignment are warranted.

Ted Risch
Space Planning & Utilization Student Worker (ext. 4728)

Ted earned a Technical Certificate in Architectural Engineering Technology from Southwest Tennessee Community College in 2005. After graduating he interned with Spencer, Maxwell, Bullock Architects in Pensacola, Florida. He continued his architectural studies at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He moved back to Memphis in the summer of 2008 and is completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Architecture here at the University of Memphis. Ted helps maintain Facilities Management Drawings using AutoCAD, performs field surveys on buildings and helps maintain building data for the Physical Facilities Inventory.