Names and changes: Business recognitions and promotions for the week of Oct. 6, 2024

Virginia Tech has promoted Dan Cleveland to associate vice president of advancement. In this role, Cleveland will help direct the university's overall fundraising strategy while overseeing the advancement offices of multiple colleges and programs.

Cleveland joined Tech in 2018 as assistant dean of advancement for the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences. He helped increase fundraising, from about $1 million his first year to nearly $7 million, while helping to improve the infrastructure of the college's advancement team.

In December 2020, Cleveland became assistant vice president for colleges and units. His accomplishments included helping the division adopt yearly milestones and providing leadership and management oversight for 17 of the 21 colleges and units for which advancement provides fundraising support.

Before joining Tech, Cleveland served in roles within the fundraising operations at Bradley University and Pacific University. Early in his career, he worked in admissions at Pacific.

Cleveland earned bachelor's degrees in literature and theater from Pacific and a Master of Business Administration from Bradley.

The Virginia Tech Board of Visitors has named Brian Kleiner, director of the Myers-Lawson School of Construction, the Preston and Catharine White Professor and Director.

The directorship is funded from the Preston and Catharine White Endowment for the Myers-Lawson School of Construction and was established in 2008 with a $1 million commitment from the Whites. Preston, a member of the class of 1962, earned his bachelor's degree in building construction.

Kleiner, a member of the Tech community since 1991, was named director of the Myers-Lawson School of Construction in 2011. Under his leadership, the school was transformed into a school with top three programs in construction management and construction engineering.

Kleiner is the founding director of the Center for Innovation in Construction Safety, Health, and Well-being at Tech, which is credited with more than $12 million of National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health external funding to improve the safety of the construction industry.

His awards include the 2022 A.R. Lauer Safety Award from the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 2014 Distinguished Professor Award by the Construction Industry Institute, 2012 U.S. Department of Defense Patriot Award, and 2012 McPherson Memorial Award for Achievements in Diversity.

Kleiner received his master's degree and Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Walter Lee, associate professor in the Department of Engineering Education, has been named the interim associate dean of inclusive excellence for the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech.

He will help advance inclusivity at all levels of the college for a year while a national search is launched. The appointment comes after the recent retirement of Bevlee Watford.

Lee will serve as the executive director of the Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity (CEED), which was established in 1992.

He holds a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from Clemson University, a master's degree in industrial and systems engineering from Tech, and a Ph.D. in engineering education from Tech.

Ken Miller has been conferred the title of vice president for finance and university treasurer emeritus, Phillip Sponenberg, professor of pathology and genetics with the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, has been conferred the title of professor emeritus, and Alexander Leonessa, a retired professor of mechanical engineering in the Virginia Tech College of Engineering, has been conferred the title of professor emeritus by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.

The emeritus title may be conferred on retired faculty members who are recommended to the board by Virginia Tech President Tim Sands in recognition of exemplary service. Nominated individuals who are approved by the board receive a copy of the resolution and a certificate of appreciation.

Miller, an alumnus, returned to the university in 1988 and held various titles including manager of general accounting, university controller, and ultimately served as vice president for finance and university treasurer until his retirement this year.

He played an instrumental role in guiding the university through the COVID-19 pandemic, with Tech emerging in a strong financial position, enabling the advancement of university priorities. His work was also significant to the analysis and implementation of the state's Higher Education Restructuring Act of 2005 and the Virginia Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2011.

Miller received a bachelor's degree in accounting from Tech.

Sponenberg, a member of the Tech community since 1981, conducted research in the conservation of rare breeds of livestock and made significant contributions through clinical service in anatomic pathology.

His professional honors and awards include the 2019 Alumni Award for Excellence in International Outreach at Virginia Tech and the 2022 Outstanding Faculty Award at Connect 2022.

Sponenberg earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Texas A&M University.

A member of the Tech community for more than 15 years, Leonessa served in numerous administrative roles, including associate department head for strategic initiatives, chair of the Commission of Research, work-life liaison for the College of Engineering, and director of the Proposal Development Institute.

He also served on a two-year rotation as a program director at the National Science Foundation where he supervised the Disability and Rehabilitation Engineering program.

Leonessa was recognized with multiple awards including the Alumni Award for Outreach Excellence and the Excellence in Access and Inclusion Award by the Office for the Services for Students with Disabilities.

He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Rome La Sapienza and his master's degree and Ph.D. from Georgia Tech. Prior to joining Virginia Tech, he held faculty positions at the University of Central Florida and Florida Atlantic University.

Fourteen new faculty, researchers, and postdoctoral scholars have joined Virginia Tech for the 2024-25 school year via the Future Faculty Diversity Program. These hires are all members of the 2023 cohort.

Held every fall, the program offers professional workshops and seminars, mentorship, networking, and opportunities for fellows to present their research and explore job opportunities at Tech.

The new hires are:

Christiana Chamon, College of Engineering

Claudia Nuñez-Penichet, College of Natural Resources and Environment

Jamie Bucholz, College of Science

Gabrielle Bennett, College of Science

Tolulope Odimayomi, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Keoni Castellano, College of Science

Arturia Melson-Silimon, College of Science

Floyd Nichols, College of Science

Sydney Turner, College of Engineering

Marlon Ac-Pangan, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Pedro Monarrez, College of Science

Pedro Soto, College of Science

Christin Salley, College of Engineering

Rachel Pearson, College of Engineering

Bucholz, Nuñez-Penichet, and Turner also were awarded 2024 Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowships for their respective research.

Virginia Western Community College has named Cheryl Hilton the new director of TRIO Student Support Services.

Hilton has 18 years of service to the institution. Her experiences with TRIO began as a student, attending Patrick Henry High School and spending summers on the Roanoke College campus enrolled in high school and college courses. Her first paid job with TRIO was as a tutor counselor residing in the residence halls with participants.

After she graduated from Roanoke College, Hilton became the school community contact counselor for Upward Bound, under the TRIO umbrella of programs that promote academic achievement for under-resourced and first-generation students.

Hilton holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Roanoke College and a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies degree from Hollins University, as well as certifications in teaching and learning.

Zoë Dye has joined Fishwick & Associates PLC as a new associate.

Dye is a cum laude graduate of Washington and Lee Law School where she served as a lead s editor of the Law Review. She also served as a Burks Scholar at the law school, helping teach first-year law students legal research, analysis and citation.

Prior to law school, Dye had extensive experience in the banking industry, working across multiple departments and states, and receiving numerous awards and recognition for her work.

Upon graduation from law school and before joining Fishwick and Associates, Dye served as a law clerk for the circuit judges of the 23rd Judicial Circuit (Roanoke City, Roanoke County and Salem).

Mary Francis has joined ABT Counseling as a full-time outpatient counselor.

Francis has been a licensed counselor for five years and has worked in schools, mental health agencies, and hospitals across Southwest and Central Virginia.

She uses a variety of approaches including cognitive behavioral therapy, solution-focused counseling, and culturally sensitive practices. She can also integrate a faith-based approach with clients as requested.

Francis holds master's degrees in education and clinical counseling. She also has experience in special education, substance use, and crisis management.

Paul Winistorfer, dean of the College of Natural Resources and Environment at Virginia Tech since 2009, has announced his retirement, effective fall 2025.

Winistorfer started his nearly 40-year career in higher education at the University of Georgia and continued at the University of Tennessee, where he held roles in teaching, research, and administration.

He came to Tech in 2001 as head of the Department of Wood Science and Forest Products, today's Department of Sustainable Biomaterials. Upon retirement, Winistorfer will have been dean for 16 years, making him the longest-serving dean in the college's history and currently the longest-serving dean at Tech.

Growth of the faculty increased more than 50% during Winistorfer's tenure, adding new expertise in instruction and research. College research expenditures have doubled since 2009 to nearly $23 million in 2024. The college has raised more than $37 million in philanthropic support during that time.

Winistorfer helped create new degrees in fields such as meteorology, water resources, sustainable biomaterials, and packaging systems and design along with modernizing existing degree programs.

In 2022, he proposed and helped establish the Sesquicentennial Grove Planting to mark Tech's 150th anniversary.

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