NVC NEWS NOW - Northern Virginia Center - Virginia Tech

P A G E 5
Community Spirit: Sherry J. Fontaine, Ph.D.
Greetings to all members of the Northern Virginia Center community. In the
past two weeks I have had the fortunate opportunity to meet many of you. To
those of you who I have not met with yet I want to briefly introduce myself. I
am the new Associate Dean of the Graduate School in the National Capital
Region and Director of the Northern Virginia Center.
I have relocated here from Kansas City, Missouri, where I was Director and Associate Professor in
the Healthcare Leadership Program at Park University. The transition from Kansas City to the Washington,
DC metropolitan area does require a bit of adjustment but it is a welcome one.
As you might expect, as the new Associate Dean and Director of the Northern Virginia Center, I
have been quite busy orienting myself to my new role and responsibilities these past two weeks. I
am very appreciative of the fact that I am able to rely on the knowledgeable and very capable administrative
and management staff which is making my transition much easier.
I also want to thank my predecessor, Dr. David Trauger, for all of his efforts in assisting me in my
new role. Dr. Trauger accomplished a great deal as Associate Dean and Director of the Northern
Virginia Center. I plan to continue his efforts to promote the graduate and professional programs offered
through the Northern Virginia Center and throughout the National Capital Region. I will also
continue to focus on building an awareness of our unique identity and operational issues.
I look forward to working with you to ensure that our programs and services continue to meet the
needs of our student population. I am pleased to be part of Virginia Tech in the National Capital Region
and to be at my new home at the Northern Virginia Center.
Photo: David L. Trauger, Ph.D.