Senior Administrator Search Information
Information on current searches, candidates, and campus and community participation in the search process for searches for senior level academic leaders.
Ongoing Searches
The search committee for Virginia Tech’s next Commandant of the Corps of Cadets invites the campus community to participate in open forum sessions in Blacksburg for the three finalists who will take part in upcoming visits to Virginia Tech.
The Commandant of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets is the highest-ranking military officer at the university and is responsible for providing strategic guidance, direction, and supervision to ensure the overall success and effectiveness of the corps. The new Commandant will replace Maj. Gen. Randal Fullhart, who will retire in July after 13 years of distinguished service to Virginia Tech.
Frances Keene, vice president for student affairs and chair of the search committee, invites members of the campus community to meet the candidates the in-person and Zoom forums. Each candidate will share their perspectives on “The Role of the Corps of Cadets at a Land Grant Institution”.
Commandant of Corps of Cadets Finalists
Brigadier General Kelly M. Dickerson, USA
- Thursday, April 25
Corps Leadership and Military Science Building Multipurpose Room, and on Zoom
Open Forum: 3:30-4:30 p.m. (presentation/Q&A); Reception: 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Currently the vice president of global seller risk at Paypal, Dickerson has also held positions as chief operating officer at software firm Katabat, venture capital firm QED Investors, and mortgage lender Privlo, along with working at Procter & Gamble and Capital One Bank. He’s served in the U.S. Army since 1989, most recently as brigadier general in the Army Reserve Office of the Chief. Dickerson holds a Master of Strategic Studies from the Army War College and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Virginia Tech.
Major General Brian T. Bishop, USAF
- Tuesday, April 30
Inn at Virginia Tech: Solitude Room, and on Zoom
Open Forum: 3:30-4:30 p.m. (presentation/Q&A); Reception: 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Bishop is the president of Brian T Bishop and Associates, a firm through which he offers consulting in leadership and high-performance team building. Previously he served as commander for the Spaatz Center for Officer Education and commandant of the Air War College; deputy chief of staff of United Nations Command and United States Forces Korea; deputy director of politico-military affairs for the Department of Defense; and commander of the 332ndAir Expeditionary Wing in Iraq. A retired major general in the U.S. Air Force, Bishop holds a master of science in business administration from Oklahoma City University and a bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Major General William “Bill” H. Seely III, USMC
- Thursday, May 2
Corps Leadership and Military Science Multipurpose Room and on Zoom
Open Forum: 3:30-4:30 p.m. (presentation/Q&A); Reception: 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Seely serves as the commandant for the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. A major general in the U.S. Marine Corps, he has also acted as director of the Information Intelligence Division for Marine Corps headquarters in the Pentagon; as commandant of the Joint Forces Staff College at the National Defense University in Norfolk, Virginia; and as director of the joint operations center for U.S. Central Command as part of Operation Inherent Freedom in Iraq. Seely holds a master’s degree in entrepreneurship from Oklahoma State University, a master’s in national security and strategic studies from Naval War College, a master’s in strategic intelligence from National Intelligence University, and a bachelor’s degree in international studies from American University.
Commandant of Corps of Cadets Search Timeline
January 2024: Search Launch
February 2024: Position Closes
April 2024: Semi-Finalist Interviews with Search Committee
April/May 2024: Finalists will be in Blacksburg for on-campus interview
May/June 2024: Announcement of new Commandant
The search committee for Virginia Tech’s next dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) invites the campus community to participate in open forum sessions in Blacksburg and Richmond for the three finalists who will take part in visits to Virginia Tech later this month.
The CALS dean serves as chief administrative officer of the college and is responsible for strategically leading the college’s academic and administrative operations. CALS and its faculty and students are shaping the future of agriculture and life sciences, and the land-grant philosophy and mission of Virginia Tech in all its diverse teaching, research, extension, development, international, and service and outreach activities.
The new dean will replace Alan Grant, who announced his retirement last September after a distinguished 15-year career at Virginia Tech.
Dan Givens, dean of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and chair of the search committee, invites members of the campus community to meet the candidates the in-person and Zoom forums. Each candidate will share their perspectives on, “Catalyzing Success of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in the Next Decade.”
Dean of CALS Finalists
Tracy Rutherford
- Monday, April 15
Blacksburg: Steger 145 Auditorium and Zoom
Open Forum: 3:30-4:30 p.m. (presentation/Q&A); Reception: 4:30-5:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, April 17
Richmond: Virginia Farm Bureau Auditorium, 12580 West Creek Parkway in Richmond and WebEx
Open Forum: 2:00-3:00 p.m. (presentation/Q&A); Reception: 3:00-4:00 p.m.
Rutherford has served as head of the Department of Agricultural, Leadership, and Community Education in Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences since July 2019. Prior to coming to Virginia Tech, she was the associate department head of academic programs in Texas A&M University’s Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications, and associate department head of undergraduate programs. Rutherford earned her bachelor’s degree in animal science from Cornell University and her master’s and doctorate from Texas A&M University.
John Killefer
- Thursday, April 18
Blacksburg: Holtzman Alumni Center Assembly Hall and Zoom
Open Forum: 2:00-3:00 p.m. (presentation/Q&A); Reception: 3:00-4:00 p.m.
- Friday, April 19
Richmond: Virginia Farm Bureau Auditorium, 12580 West Creek Parkway in Richmond and WebEx
Open Forum: 2:00-3:00 p.m. (presentation/Q&A); Reception: 3:00-4:00 p.m.
Killefer serves as a tenured professor in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences at South Dakota State University. Prior to this role, he was the South Dakota Corn Endowed Dean and Professor for the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences at South Dakota State (2018-2022) and professor and department head of Animal and Rangeland Sciences at Oregon State University (2012-2018). Killefer holds a Ph.D. in Animal Science from Oregon State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Hastings College (Nebraska).
Mario Ferruzzi
- Monday, April 22
Blacksburg: Holtzman Alumni Center Assembly Hall and Zoom
Open Forum: 3:30-4:30 p.m. (presentation/Q&A); Reception: 4:30-5:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, April 24
Richmond: Virginia Farm Bureau Auditorium, 12580 West Creek Parkway in Richmond and WebEx
Open Forum: 2:00-3:00 p.m. (presentation/Q&A); Reception: 3:00-4:00 p.m.
Ferruzzi serves as director of the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center and the Arkansas Children’s Endowed Chair in Digestive Disease and Nutrition Research. Prior to his time at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, he was the David H. Murdock Distinguished Professor at North Carolina State University’s Plants for Human Health Institute (2016-2021) and professor of Food Science and Nutrition Science at Purdue University (2004-2016). He holds a Ph.D. and a master’s degree in food science and nutrition from The Ohio State University, and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Duke University.
Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Search Timeline
November 2023: Search Launch
February 2024: Position Closes
March/April 2024: Semi-Finalist Interviews with Search Committee
April 2024: Finalists will be in Blacksburg for on-campus interview
May/June 2024: Announcement of new Dean
