Virginia Tech announces search committee for executive vice president and provost

Virginia Tech has announced the search committee for a executive vice president and provost.

Earlier this month, Senior Vice President and Provost Mark G. McNamee, who has served in this role since 2001, announced his plans to step down from his position until his successor has been named.

The national search for McNamee’s successor will be chaired by Virginia Tech President Timothy D. Sands. Paul Knox, University Distinguished Professor and Senior Fellow for International Advancement, will serve as co-chair. Other members of the search committee include:

• Marcus Breitschmid, professor, School of Architecture and Design, College of Architecture and Urban Studies, National Capital Region;
• Cyril Clarke, professor and dean, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine;
• Rafael Davalos, associate professor of biomedical engineering and mechanics, College of Engineering;
• Karen DePauw, vice president and dean for graduate education;
• Srinath Ekkad, Rolls Royce Commonwealth Professor for Aerospace Propulsion Systems in the College of Engineering and associate vice president for research programs, Office for the Vice President for Research;
• Jack Finney, vice provost for faculty affairs;
• Ashley Francis, graduate student representative to the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors;
• Bernice Hausman, Edward S. Diggs Professor in Humanities, College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences;
• Edwin Jones, director, Virginia Cooperative Extension, and associate dean, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences;
• Russell Jones, professor of psychology, College of Science;
• Sallie Keller, professor of statistics, College of Science, and director, Social Decision and Analytics Laboratory, Virginia Bioinformatics Institute, National Capital Region;
• Ben Knapp, director, Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology;
• Austin Larrowe, undergraduate student representative to the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors;
• Nancy McGehee, professor and head, Department of Hospitality, Tourism, and Management, Pamplin College of Business;
• Saied Mostaghimi, H.E. and Elizabeth F. Alphin Professor and associate dean, for research and graduate studies, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences;
• Patty Perillo, vice president for student affairs;
• Patty Raun, professor and director, School of Performing Arts, College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences;
• Kimberly Rhodes, executive assistant to the vice president for outreach and international affairs;
• Karen Eley Sanders, associate vice provost for undergraduate academic affairs;
• John Seiler, Hon. And Mrs. S.H. Short Professor of Forestry, College of Natural Resources and Environment;
• Dwight Shelton, vice president for finance and chief financial officer and executive vice president of the Virginia Tech Foundation; and
• Tyler Walters, dean, University Libraries.

Kim O’Rourke, chief of staff, Office of the President, and Cheryl Peterson, deputy chief of staff, Office of the President, will serve as search committee staff.

Two town-hall meetings will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 25, in the Haymarket Theatre in Squires Student Center. The first will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. and the second from 3:30 to 5 p.m. An audio recording will be made of each town-hall meeting and posted to the search web site so that those who cannot attend the meetings can hear the discussion.

Initial screening of applications will begin immediately and will continue until an appointment is made. Individuals who wish to nominate a candidate should submit a letter of nomination including contact information for the nominee. Application materials should include a letter addressing how the candidate's experiences match the position requirements, a curriculum vitae or resumé, and five references. Submission of materials as PDF attachments is strongly encouraged.

Confidential inquiries, nominations, and application materials should be directed to Jan Greenwood, Betty Turner Asher, or Julie Holley at Greenwood/Asher, the firm retained by the university to assist in this search. They may also be reached at Greenwood/Asher & Associates, Inc., 42 Business Centre Drive, Suite 205, Miramar Beach, FL 32550, phone: 850-650-2277 or Fax: 850-650-2272.

Nominations may also be emailed to provostsearch@vt.edu or sent campus mail to 210 Burruss Hall, 800 Drillfield Drive (0131).

The position description, application process, and other information related to the search will be posted to the provost search website (http://www.vt.edu/provostsearch). The site will be launched on Wednesday, Feb. 25. 

Related Links

• Senior Vice President and Provost Mark G. McNamee announces future plans