About the Office

_{Lisa Wilkes, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives & Special Assistant to the President
lwilkes@vt.edu}

Serves as the chief administrative officer for the Office of the President in addition to advancing strategic university initiatives.

_{Debbie Breon, Office Manager and Executive Assistant
dsbreon@vt.edu}

Manages the Office of the President’s reception area, provides executive administrative support to the Vice President for Strategic Initiatives & Special Assistant to the President, and serves as the point of contact for obtaining presidential signatures.

_{Elena Conway, Public Relations Manager
edconway@vt.edu}

Manages communications and the website for the Office of the President, oversees the writing and communications intern, and supports university projects and initiatives.

_{Eric Earnhart, Senior Public Relations Director
earnhart@vt.edu}

Oversees executive communications for the president, including letters, speeches, emails, newsletter articles, social media, and other correspondence, serves as principal writer for the University President, and manages the Office of the President's website and communications.  

_{Melissa Elliott, Senior Executive Assistant
elliott1@vt.edu}

Manages the president's calendar, coordinates his travel, and serves as the point of contact for presidential scheduling requests.

_{Ally Seaver, Multimedia and Strategic Communications Intern}

Assists the president’s strategic initiatives through multimedia marketing.

_{Pascha Gerni, Assistant Vice President for Finance and Administration
pascha@vt.edu}

Oversees business and administrative functions for the Office of the President and units reporting to the senior management area, including finances, operations, facilities, and HR.

_{Amanda Lucas, Senior Business Operations Coordinator
alucas4@vt.edu}

Provides fiscal, human resources, and administrative support to the Office of the President and to the president’s senior management area.

_{Juliet Nwaihesie, Business Operations Associate
julietn8@vt.edu}

Provides fiscal support for the Office of the President and the president's senior management through transactional data analysis and budget development.

_{Christine Watkinson, Business & Administrative Operations Manager
cawatkin@vt.edu}

Provides policy and procedure guidance for the Office of the President, as well as support for the office’s financial and human resources operations.

_{Eleanor Webster, Program Manager
eleanorwebster@vt.edu}

Manages presidential programs and events, provides administrative support for the president's leadership groups, and serves as the point of contact for the president's spouse in her official capacity.

_{Kim Akers, Senior Director of Operations
kimake@vt.edu}

Oversees operations for The Grove and its staff, and serves as the point of contact for internal university partners supporting its day-to-day activities and special events.

_{Angie Collins, Executive Housekeeper
angelac7@vt.edu}

Manages housekeeping assistance and provides general oversight for daily building operations.

_{Michael Arrington, Executive Chef for University Events
marringt@vt.edu}

Serves as executive chef for university events hosted at The Grove and oversees culinary arts learning for The Grove student culinary intern.

_{Molly Early, Student Culinary Intern}

Assists with culinary arts preparation and production.

_{Kelsey Burkett, Graduate Assistant}

Assists with the planning and execution of events at The Grove and supervises student event employees.