Daniel J. LaVista, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Daniel J. LaVista, Ph.D.
Executive Director
As Executive Director, Dr. LaVista provides leadership and coordination of Virginia's 16 public and two and four-year institutions, 23 community colleges of the Virginia Community College System, and 100+ private and out-of-state institutions. He provides daily management of the agency, serves as liaison to the Council and its Executive Committee, and works with Council and staff to fulfill statutory duties. These duties include systemwide strategic planning, higher education budget recommendations, and policy development and implementation related to finance, academic affairs, and institutional research. He is responsible for providing data, analysis, reports, and recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly. Dr. LaVista chairs regular meetings of the presidents of Virginia's higher education institutions, and he serves as a member of the following boards: Virginia College Savings Plan; the Virginia College Building Authority; the Commission to Review, Study, and Reform Educational Leadership; the Center for Innovative Technology Board of Directors; the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center; and the Virginia Environmental Education Commission, as well as ex officio on the Virginia Research and Technology Advisory Commission (VRTAC).
Prior to being appointed Executive Director, Dr. LaVista was the Executive Director of the Illinois Board of Higher Education where he assisted the Board in policy development addressing affordability of postsecondary education, faculty diversity and college and university productivity. With his prior experience as a state higher education executive officer, Dr. LaVista brings a unique understanding to the challenges and the opportunities associated with this important position.
Previous executive positions include President of McHenry County College, President of the College of Lake County, and Chancellor for the Community Colleges of Baltimore County. He also served as Vice-President for Academic Affairs at Cuyahoga Community College and Associate Professor of Theater at Illinois State University.
Dr. LaVista holds a Ph.D. in Speech and Dramatic Arts from Syracuse University, a Master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Dayton, and a B.A. in English from Siena College in New York.
