Michael Mulhare will retire from his role as interim associate vice president for public safety, effective summer 2025.

Mulhare began his career at Virginia Tech in the fall of 2008 as the university’s first director of emergency management where he spearheaded the Virginia Tech Emergency Management program. In 2016, he was promoted to assistant vice president for emergency management before becoming interim associate vice president of Public Safety in March 2023.

“When an opportunity presented itself to be part of Virginia Tech, I did not hesitate. I thought I could provide value and had the right skill sets to build upon the existing foundation. It was also an opportunity to personally give back to an institution that had done so much for my son and eldest daughter,” said Mulhare. Two of his three children attended Virginia Tech and were seniors on April 16, 2007.

Prior to his arrival at Virginia Tech, Mulhare served as chief of the Office of Emergency Response and was the emergency response administrator for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. He received his bachelor’s degree from Saint Joseph’s College in Maine and a master’s degree in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Rhode Island. Mulhare is a registered professional engineer.

"Mike’s well-earned retirement comes after a full career of accomplishments at Virginia Tech. Mike willingly took on the challenges of being our first director of Emergency Management, serving as our COVID director, and answering my call to lead our Public Safety Division,” said Amy Sebring, executive vice president and chief operating officer. “Virginia Tech is better off because of Mike’s steady leadership and sense of service.”

With his 14-years working with Emergency Management, he built one of the leading emergency management programs in higher education and the first to be nationally accredited. He grew the partnership with the National Weather Service of Blacksburg, making Virginia Tech the first college or university in Virginia to receive the StormReady designation; brought numerous individual preparedness outreach campaigns to the campus community such as Stop the Bleed and the Hokie Ready app; and helped coin the slogan "Be Hokie Ready."

Mulhare initiated the university’s crisis emergency action, continuity of operations, and community assistance planning programs, and he led the development of Virginia Tech’s multichannel emergency notification system, VT Alerts.

During the pandemic, Mulhare led and was at the forefront of the Virginia Tech COVID-19 response serving as COVID director and as a key advisor to President Tim Sands.

While serving as interim associate vice president for public safety, he has provided strategic direction, management, and oversight to the university’s public safety portfolio that includes the Virginia Tech Police Department, Virginia Tech Rescue Squad, Environmental Health and Safety and Emergency Management. Mulhare helped strengthen partnerships within the university and with external stakeholders for public safety initiatives.

“I hope in my tenure to have added some value to the university public safety programs, providing a safe and secure working and learning environment and a resilient structure for continued growth in support of the community and the university’s mission,” said Mulhare.

Mulhare sees retirement as an opportunity to do the things that have been put off for too long. He plans to travel, spend more time with his wife, three children, and grandchildren. In retirement, he wants to ride his bike and focus more on his hobbies, woodworking and tinkering on his classic cars.

Virginia Tech will launch a national search to fill the associate vice president for public safety role. Kelly Oaks, associate vice president for equity and accessibility, will chair the search for this critical position. Members of the search committee include:

  • Regina Allen, IBCP director and IBC administrator, Scholarly Integrity and Research Compliance
  • Leanne Bokinski, assistant vice president for finance and operations, Virginia Tech Innovation Campus
  • Michelle Cobb, Virginia Tech alumna
  • Sarah Glenn, director of facilities and technical operations, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC
  • Debbie Greer, senior director of finance and business operations, Office of the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
  • Tim Miles, youth protection associate specialist, Virginia Tech Office of Youth Protection 
  • Mike Staples, assistant vice president for dining, housing, and facilities, Student Affairs
  • Jon Clark Teglas, chief of staff, Division of Facilities
  • Brad Wurthman, senior associate athletic director for external operations, Virginia Tech Athletics

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