Amy Stoakley Sebring named executive vice president and chief operating officer at Virginia Tech
Amy Stoakley Sebring, chief operating officer at William & Mary, has been named executive vice president and chief operating officer at Virginia Tech.
“I am very pleased to welcome Amy to the university community and our leadership team,” said Virginia Tech President Tim Sands. “She brings a deep understanding of the business of higher education; great expertise in supporting the teaching, research, and engagement mission; and strong relationships in Richmond and higher education in the commonwealth. Her extensive experience in finance will help us meet the challenges and opportunities ahead. I look forward to working with Amy to advance Virginia Tech’s impact on the many communities that we serve in accordance with our strategic plan.”
Sands also thanked Chris Kiwus, who has served as interim senior vice president and chief business officer, by saying, “Chris’s leadership has been critical to Virginia Tech, especially in maintaining the continuous improvement of our campus infrastructure and the momentum of our IT transformation project. We deeply appreciate his spirit of service and commitment to the university.”
“President Sands’ transformational vision to become a top 100 global research university, and the clear momentum the university has to achieve this, captured my interest immediately,” Sebring said. “No other university has accomplished what Virginia Tech has during President Sands' tenure, and the impact is clearly being felt across the commonwealth and beyond. The establishment of the Innovation Campus, the accelerated investment and commitment to cutting-edge research, and the multitude of efforts to enhance and improve the student experience are evidence that Virginia Tech is focused on finding solutions to pressing public issues.
“As Virginia Tech looks to the future, it is critical that the university align its human, capital, technological, and financial resources strategically to maintain and accelerate this momentum,” she added. “The opportunity to contribute to this effort attracted me to this institution. I am especially grateful and deeply humbled to join the Virginia Tech community and to continue serving the commonwealth.”
Reporting to the president and working closely with the executive vice president and provost, the executive leadership team, and the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors, Sebring will lead the university’s financial and operational enterprises, including information technology, human resources, policy and governance, and planning and facilities management. She will begin her new position on Nov. 1.
Sebring brings 27 years of higher education financial and administrative management and state legislative experience to Virginia Tech, spending her last seven years at William & Mary in senior financial management positions. She was appointed chief operating officer in 2020 after serving as the university’s chief financial officer and vice president for finance and technology since 2016.
Sebring has served as vice chair from 2018-19 and chair from 2020-21 of the Council of State Senior Business Officers.
From 2006-16, Sebring worked at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), where she served as senior associate dean for finance and administration at VCU’s School of Medicine as well as the executive director of MCV Physicians, the affiliated, faculty physician group practice. In this dual role, she led the financial management of the medical school, operational oversight of the physician practice plan, budgeting, strategic planning, human resources, information technology, space planning, and general administration.
During her time at VCU, Sebring was actively involved in the Association of American Medical Colleges Group on Business Affairs, serving as chair of the national group from 2015-16.
Prior to her higher education positions, Sebring held a variety of roles with the Commonwealth of Virginia, working as the higher education and debt analyst for the Virginia Senate Finance Committee, as the finance policy director for the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, and as a budget analyst for the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget.
Sebring began her career in education policy as a research associate with the Education Commission of the States, a national, non-partisan policy organization located in Colorado.
Sebring received a bachelor’s degree from Duke University, a Master of Public Policy from William & Mary, and a post-baccalaureate certificate in accounting from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is married with two adult children.
