Sherry J. Fontaine named associate dean, director of Northern Virginia Center
Sherry J. Fontaine, currently associate professor and director of the Master of Healthcare Leadership Program at Park University in Parkville, Mo., has been named associate dean for graduate education and director of Virginia Tech’s Northern Virginia Center, National Capital Region. She will assume her new position June 1.
Fontaine will succeed David L. Trauger, who has served in the National Capital Region as interim associate dean and director at the Northern Virginia Center this past year. Trauger will return to retirement when Fontaine begins her duties.
“Dr. Fontaine is an academic leader who has a wealth of experience and a strong understanding of the adult and part-time student,” said Karen P. DePauw, vice president and dean of graduate education at Virginia Tech.
As director of the Master of Healthcare Leadership Program at Park University, Fontaine is responsible for faculty recruitment and supervision, course assessment and review, development and oversight for online curriculum, program marketing and outreach, and the management and development of departmental budgets.
“I am deeply impressed by Virginia Tech’s excellent academic reputation and the potential the metropolitan Washington area offers for graduate and professional education,” said Fontaine. “Of particular interest to me is the Graduate School’s Transformative Graduate Education initiative."
In her new position, Fontaine will oversee the daily operations of the Northern Virginia Center, recruitment and marketing strategies, and work to strengthen and enhance the overall student experience and the relationship between the university and the broader community.
Fontaine received her bachelor’s degree from Lehigh University and a master’s degree and Ph.D. from Cornell University. In 1986 Fontaine was awarded a post-doctoral fellowship at the London Business School in the United Kingdom.
During Fontaine’s 25-year career in higher education, she has held administrative and/or teaching positions at D’Youville College, Marywood University, Buffalo State College, University of Maryland-Baltimore County, Memphis State University, and the University of South Carolina.
The Graduate School at Virginia Tech promotes graduate education as a critical component in the transmission of new knowledge, research, ideas, and scholarship. It is responsible for the development, administration, and evaluation of graduate education throughout the university, providing support to faculty, staff, and more than 6,000 graduate students. The Graduate School is committed to building a diverse graduate community and vibrant intellectual environment to help prepare graduates to lead. Virginia Tech, the most comprehensive university in Virginia, is dedicated to quality, innovation, and results to the commonwealth, the nation, and the world.
Written by T. Lynn Caldwell, a graduate assistant with the Graduate School and University Relations.
