Chaffey College Celebrates Life of Associate Superintendent Troy Ament
With a walkie talkie in hand and a smile on his face, Troy Ament often told people he was “living the dream” during the 13 years he served Chaffey College.
The associate superintendent of administrative services and emergency operations died Jan. 11.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Troy Ament,” said Chaffey College Superintendent/President Henry D. Shannon. “Troy showed all of us what servant leadership looked like, and he made Chaffey College a better place in so many ways – from the construction projects he oversaw, to his hard work in keeping our campuses safe. He will be deeply missed by our campus and the community he served.”
A lifelong public servant, Troy worked as a firefighter and eventually fire chief for the city of Montclair for much of his career. He brought his emergency management expertise to Chaffey in December 2012 as supervisor for facilities and construction.
Troy led teams that handled a broad spectrum of duties – from keeping campus safe during and after storms, to ensuring bond measure construction projects progressed smoothly.
He promoted quickly through various positions, and ultimately in 2022 was promoted to associate superintendent of administrative services and emergency operations where he oversaw construction, campus safety, maintenance, operations and facilities. In this role, Troy led major construction projects to expand and modernize the college to meet the growing needs of students and the workforce. A few notable projects completed under Troy’s leadership include:
- Library Learning Commons, a $75 million 76000-square-foot flagship project that is a model for 21st century learning.
- Aquatic Center renovation, a $14.2 million project that increased capacity for community instruction and aquatic events.
- Chino Instructional Building, a $34.5 million 35,000-square-foot building that is the new home to Chaffey’s nursing programs and offers technology-rich general education classrooms, faculty offices and flexible teaching spaces.
Despite his responsibilities as associate superintendent, he could often be seen working alongside his employees with shovels and other tools to safeguard the campus community.
“He was a great leader that cared about the people he worked with and the college community that he supported,” said Brandon Toepfer, director of facilities and physical plant.
Operations Supervisor Aissa Nason, who worked with Troy the entire time he was at Chaffey, said he truly listened to people, whether they were a facilities maintenance attendant or an executive vice president.
“He always had time to talk and make sure that everything was going well. He was also the type of boss that would support you when you needed it, but also assisted you when corrections were needed in a positive way,” she said.
Chaffey awarded Troy the Panther Pride award in 2021 for the extensive work he did to prepare the campus for the return of students and employees following the pandemic.
“He dedicated hours upon hours to walk to each and every classroom that was going
to be holding an in-person class,” wrote Eva Ramirez, Troy’s former executive assistant.
Samir Shah, who worked closely with Troy for the college’s bond construction as bond program manager, said he had never encountered any other leader in his 35-year career who cared for his colleagues as much as Troy.
“He was more than a leader – he was a source of guidance, compassion and unwavering support to everyone he worked with,” Shah said.
Maintenance Manager Dale Garrett called Troy the foundation of many things at Chaffey, and described him as a man who helped build buildings as well as friendships.
“I will miss him professionally, as he was a great leader, and I will miss him personally, because he was a great friend. Godspeed Troy,” he said.
Show Your Support
For those who wish, Troy’s family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Peter Chanel Catholic Church or to St. Michael’s Abbey.
Additionally, for those who wish to pay tribute to Troy in other ways, a digital greeting card and a tribute wall have been created for the campus community. Your messages and photos will be shared with Troy’s family.
