Menah Pratt named regional chancellor for three Penn State campuses
Menah Pratt, vice president for strategic affairs and professor of education at Virginia Tech since 2016, will become regional chancellor for the Hazleton, Scranton, and Wilkes-Barre Commonwealth Campuses at Penn State, effective Aug. 1.
When she joins Penn State, Pratt will bring with her 10 successful years of higher education leadership and experience with strategic planning, student success, and community engagement from Virginia Tech.
“Menah’s transdisciplinary expertise and dynamic philosophy have been a tremendous asset for Virginia Tech over the past decade as we developed and concluded a successful strategic plan and launched a new strategic planning process this year,” said President Tim Sands. “We are also deeply grateful for her tireless efforts to advance an inclusive environment aligned with our Principles of Community and her leadership in the development of Virginia Tech Advantage as a strategic university priority. We wish her great success in her new position.”
"It has been an incredible privilege to serve the Virginia Tech community, working with phenomenal colleagues, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members,” said Pratt. “Virginia Tech's motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), has been a profound and powerful guiding light for me in my work. I look forward to carrying that light and commitment to service into my new role as Penn State's regional chancellor for Hazleton, Scranton, and Wilkes-Barre communities. I am grateful for the experiences at Virginia Tech that have prepared me for this new endeavor at Penn State."
As regional chancellor, Pratt will oversee Penn State’s northeast campuses, working closely with faculty, staff, students, and community partners to support academic excellence, student success, and regional engagement.
At Virginia Tech, Pratt has led universitywide strategic planning efforts, supported enrollment and student success initiatives, and worked across academic and administrative units to guide institutional priorities and support shared governance efforts.
Prior to her arrival at Virginia Tech, Pratt served as associate chancellor for strategic affairs and associate provost for diversity at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she worked on institutional strategy, governance, and academic planning while also helping lead community engagement, workforce development, and student pipeline initiatives. Earlier in her career, she held leadership and legal affairs roles at Vanderbilt University. In addition to her administrative leadership experience, Pratt is a tenured faculty member and scholar whose work has focused on higher education, leadership, and social change.
The Office of Strategic Affairs, led by Lauren Pollard, will report Lisa Wilkes, vice president for strategic initiatives and special assistant to the president.
