Josh Iorio named Preston and Catharine White Fellow

Josh Iorio, collegiate associate professor who serves as the assistant director for the Myers-Lawson School of Construction in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, has been named Preston and Catharine White Fellow by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.

The fellowship is funded from the Preston and Catharine White Endowment for the Myers-Lawson School of Construction. The endowment was established in 2008 with a $1 million commitment from the Whites. Preston is a member of the Class of 1962 who earned his bachelor’s degree in building construction.

A member of the Virginia Tech community since 2011, Iorio’s current research interests focus on improving recruitment and retention in the construction industry through enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. His earlier work explored the interactional dynamics of virtual teams, with particular focus on conflict, leadership, and communication. 

Iorio teaches both graduate and undergraduate classes that build students’ nontechnical professional competencies. He also is responsible for a variety of administrative functions within the Myers-Lawson School of Construction related to human resource management. He serves as co-chair of the school’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

Iorio received his bachelor's degree in English literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a master's degree in English with a focus on teaching English as foreign language from East Carolina University, and a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Texas at Austin.