Rodney Irvin named director of employee relations

19 Mar 2013

Rodney Irvin has been selected to serve as the director of employee relations in the Department of Human Resources’ Office of Equity and Access.

Irvin has been serving as the interim director since the retirement of Pat Burton in January.

In his role, Irvin is responsible for the strategy and execution of employee relations programs and policies to help the university achieve academic and operational excellence. His work supports the Principles of Community by fostering strong partnerships between employees and management based on mutual respect and understanding. The employee relations unit collaborates with other HR professionals and departments on matters involving engagement, fair treatment, and performance management.

"I'm honored to be part of an institution that so clearly values our employees and the relationships we have with one another. Virginia Tech is a great place to work because of the people who work here and I’m looking forward to helping my colleagues across the university use effective communication and teamwork to build and strengthen those very relationships," said Irvin.

A former officer in the United States Navy, Irvin began his career at Virginia Tech in 2011 as an employee relations consultant. He has held several other related positions with the Florida Department of Health and the Denver Health and Hospital Authority.

Irvin has bachelor’s degrees in communications and English from Florida State University and earned his Professional in Human Resources certification in 2010. This semester, he is also teaching a labor-management and employee relations course in the Department of Management in the Pamplin College of Business.

The Office of Equity and Access, which is part of the Department of Human Resources, houses University ADA Services, Employee Relations, Compliance and Conflict Resolution, and Equity Initiatives. The role of the Office of Equity and Access in Human Resources is to support and advance the university's commitment to diversity and ensure a campus community free from discrimination and harassment.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.