Lynn Byrd named HR division director for Research and Innovation

Lynn Byrd has been promoted as division director of human resources for the Office of Research and Innovation.

Byrd has more than 28 years of experience in human resources and joined Virginia Tech in 2002.

She has held a number of human resources roles at the university, including interim division director since May, senior manager of human resources from June 2020 to May 2023, and human resources project manager from 2015 to June 2020 for Research and Innovation. She held a series of increasingly senior roles for the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute and then the Biocomplexity Institute, including director of talent management from 2011 to 2015.

She will report to both Dan Sui, senior vice president for research and innovation, and Curtis Mabry, assistant vice president of consulting and strategic services in the Division of Human Resources.

“In addition to being a long-term member of the Hokie Nation, Lynn brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and talent to her new role,” said Bryan Garey, vice president for human resources. “We are pleased that Lynn continues to grow in her career at Virginia Tech and look forward to her contributions to the Research and Innovation team as a division director.”

“Lynn brings unparalleled experience at the intersection of Virginia Tech’s research mission and human resources,” Sui said. “I am excited to partner with her to continue to support our researchers and research enterprise as we continue to pursue our top 100 global goals.”

Byrd received a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech and an MBA from Averett University. She earned Virginia Tech’s Diversity Ambassador Certificate 2016 and holds the Professional in Human Resources  certification and is a SHRM Certified Professional.