New tri-chairs appointed as Virginia Tech’s fundraising and engagement campaign reaches $1.249 billion

Deseria Creighton-Barney ’86, J. Pearson ’87, and Liz Lazor ’15 recently stepped forward as new tri-chairs as Boundless Impact: The Campaign for Virginia Tech continues toward its 2027 conclusion with an expanded fundraising goal of $1.872 billion dollars.

Through late February, the campaign, which was announced in October 2019 and also has a goal to engage 100,000 Hokies, had raised $1.249 billion and engaged 88,220 alumni.

Creighton-Barney, Pearson, and Lazor follow Morgan Blackwood Patel ’03, Lynne Doughtie ’85, and Horacio Valeiras ’80, who served as tri-chairs during the initial public phase of the campaign.

“As we welcome Deseria, J., and Liz as new tri-chairs of our Boundless Impact Campaign Steering Committee, we thank Morgan, Lynne, and Horacio for their generous and effective service during the first portion of the campaign,” said Virginia Tech President Tim Sands. “Thanks to their leadership and the thousands of generous alumni, partners, and friends who joined them, the most ambitious fundraising and engagement campaign in Virginia Tech history is on pace for success.”

Creighton-Barney, of Chesterfield, Virginia, is a past president of the Alumni Board of Directors and serves on the Alumni Advisory Board of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. She also has served on the Virginia Tech Foundation board of directors. She earned her bachelor’s degree in communication and now works as director of people development for WayForth, a moving solutions company whose mid-Atlantic operations are headquartered in Richmond.

Along with her Virginia Tech degree, Creighton-Barney holds certificates in diversity and inclusion for human resources from Cornell University and a certificate in diversity, equity, and inclusion from the University of South Florida. She was co-recipient of the Ut Prosim Award at Virginia Tech’s 2018 Black Alumni Reunion.

In addition to her involvement with Virginia Tech, Creighton-Barney is a member of the Henrico County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. She is also a volunteer for the Richmond Chapter of the American Heart Association and is a nominee for the Women of Impact.

J. Pearson, of Fort Myers Beach, Florida, was named one of the university’s Foremost Benefactors in 2022 and is a namesake of the Corps of Cadets residence halls Pearson Hall East and West on the Blacksburg campus’ Upper Quad.

He also is a namesake of the James A. and Renae C. Pearson Collegiate Faculty Fellowship, which is tied to the Kohl Agribusiness Center. Pearson earned his bachelor’s in agricultural and applied economics in 1987 and a commission as lieutenant in the Virginia Army National Guard.

Pearson founded Carry-On Trailer in Virginia before becoming an operating partner of a private equity firm. He is chairman of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Alumni Board and is serving on the advisory board and as a professor of practice for the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Lazor is a Northern Virginia native who earned her bachelor’s degree in finance and is a certified financial planner. In 2018, she joined a financial startup called Grove, which was later acquired by Wealthfront.

Lazor now lives in Palo Alto, California, and manages strategic partnerships at Wealthfront. While enrolled at Virginia Tech, she served as a resident advisor, class treasurer, and student body president.

“The enthusiastic support and profound insights of our Boundless Impact Campaign Steering Committee help a great deal as we look to engage Hokies from around the world,” said Angela Hayes, associate vice president for advancement and director of the campaign. “This campaign will play a major role in our university’s future accomplishments. We deeply appreciate our committee members for their generosity and leadership.”