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Dean's Advisory Council

Dean's Advisory Council

The purpose of the Dean’s Advisory Council is to work together to provide strategic guidance, industry insights, and community perspective to the Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to advance and promote the strategic priorities of the College through its teaching, research, and extension programs.

Members of the Dean’s Advisory Council serve at the discretion of the Dean. This council is a non-voting, advisory council and does not engage in decision-making related to program personnel, budget, or internal policy development within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences or Virginia Tech.

In alignment with Virginia Tech’s Principals of Community and Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) motto, the Dean’s Advisory Council contributes to on-going efforts to increase access and inclusion, where all identities, experiences, and backgrounds come together to create a strong and welcoming community representative of Virginia Tech and all those it serves. It strives to facilitate accessible, flexible, enjoyable, and meaningful activities that honor and uplift the dignity of our members and the faculty, staff, and administrators who work with the Council.

Council members uphold the following roles and responsibilities in service to the College:

  1. Strategic Advisor – serve as a thought leader with our Dean/director to understand better the multiple facets of challenges and issues they are working through and to explore potential solutions to consider.
  2. Industry Expert - represent your industry by bringing forward trends, industry standards, workforce needs, and best practices from key sectors that the university should be aware of because of its impact on our academic and research programs.
  3. Network Partner - liaison between university and college/unit with external companies, organizations, and individuals, where appropriate, to open opportunities for faculty in joint programming and research and for students with experiential learning, mentoring, and job recruiting.
  4. Philanthropic Champion - help college/unit’s Advancement staff identify and secure gifts from other interested parties through conversations with alumni, friends, and corporations
  5. Ambassador - advocate for the university and college to influence local, regional, or national policies as requested, to provide connections with practitioners in the field and other external contacts, and/or to encourage others to support our programs.

College Liaison: Robyn Stuart, Director of Alumni and Constituent Relations

Members

Executive Committee Members

  • Brad Copenhaver, Chair
  • Katie Frazier, Chair Emeritus
  • Shelley Butler Barlow, Strategic Initiatives and Priorities Committee Chair
  • Cathie Woteki, Development Committee Chair
  • Dave Winston and Ronnie Gill, Engagement Committee Chairs

College Liaison: Mario Ferruzzi, Dean

Strategic Initiatives and Priorities Committee

CHAIR: SHELLEY BUTLER BARLOW
  • Katie Frazier
  • Martha Moore
  • Whit Morris
  • Ken Opengart
  • Dennis Pearson
  • J. Pearson
  • Ben Rowe

College Liaison: Vernon Meacham, Assistant Dean for Advancement

Development Committee

CHAIR: CATHIE WOTEKI
  • Steve Critchfield
  • Mike Hildebrand
  • John Rowsell
  • Rusty Unterzuber
  • Cliff Williamson

College Liaison: Ben Grove, Director of Development

Marketing and Communications Committee

  • Robert Mills
  • John Newby
  • Keith Phillips

College Liaison: Tom Soladay, Director of Marketing and Communications

Engagement Committee

CHAIRS: DAVE WINSTON & RONNIE GILL
  • Peter Bachmann
  • Jon Dickerson
  • Will Fiske
  • Jessica Jones
  • Amy Rasor
  • Tim Schell
  • Sarah Jane Thomsen
  • Emily Williams

College Liaison: Robyn Stuart, Director of Alumni and Constituent Relations

 

Dean's Advisory Council Agendas

8:30 a.m. Morning Mix & Mingle (in-person only) 

9:00 a.m.  Meeting Session 1

  • 10 min - Welcome and Meeting Overview - Katie Frazier, DAC Chair 
  • 20 min - Updates from the College - Mario Ferruzzi, Dean of CALS 
  • 15 min - Updates from VCE - Mike Gutter, Associate Dean and Director of VCE 
  • 45 min - Discussion - What are key considerations for developing public-private partnerships to advance the reach and impact of CALS’ work? 

10:30 a.m.  COMMITTEE SESSION 1 (Zoom option) 

  • Introductions 
  • Overview of Committee Priorities 

11:30 a.m. LUNCH (in-person only)  

  • Recognition of Council members concluding their service 

1:00 p.m.  COMMITTEE SESSION 2 (Zoom option) 

Each committee will provide a short break at an appropriate time during this session 

  • Continuation of full group discussion following the theme of each committee. 
    • Public-Private Partnerships 
    • Expanding the Agricultural Technology Program 
  • Outline next steps for Committee work; look at schedules for follow-up meeting(s) if needed 
  • Summarize discussions to report back to full group 

3:00 p.m.  MEETING SESSION 2 (Webex option) 

  • Committee Summaries 
  • Wrap-up Discussion 
  • Closing Feedback

4:30 p.m. Meeting Ends 

 

8 a.m.  Combined Groups Morning Mix & Mingle, in-person only

8:45 a.m. Combined Groups MEETING SESSION 1 - HYBRID

  • Welcome and Overview of Meeting – Katie Frazier, Chair of the Dean’s Advisory Council
  • Vision and Short-term Goals – Mario Ferruzzi, Dean
  • Advancement Overview and Proposed University Level Advisory Board Structure – Vernon Meacham, Assistant Dean for Advancement, and Robyn Stuart, Director of Alumni and Constituent Relations
  • Vision for the Dean’s Advisory Council – Katie Frazier, Mario Ferruzzi, and Brad Copenhaver, Vice Chair of the Dean’s Advisory Council
  • Elevated Role within Dean’s Advisory Council and Visioning for the Future of the Alumni Organization – Ronnie Gill and Dave Winston, Interim Leadership for the Alumni Organization
  • Guided Reflection of Individual Experience, Strengths, and Values – Robyn Stuart
  • Q&A

10:15 a.m. Break & Transition Time 

10:30 a.m. Dean’s Advisory MEETING SESSION 2 – HYBRID

  • Review proposed Dean’s Advisory Council guidelines –Katie Frazier and Brad Copenhaver

12:15 p.m. Break & Transition Time

12:30 p.m. Combined Groups Luncheon, in-person only

2:15 p.m. Dean’s Advisory MEETING SESSION 3 – HYBRID

  • Insights for Agriculture and Extension’s Impact on our Communities – Mike Gutter, Associate Dean and Director of Virginia Cooperative Extension
  • Example Committee Working Sessions:
    • Strategic Initiatives & Priorities
      • Presidential Priorities: What are they and how does Virginia Cooperative Extension Connect? – Debbie Day, Assoc. Vice President for Presidential Priorities
    • Communications & Marketing
      • How can our stakeholders and partners support our plans and goals? – Tom Soladay, Director of Communications and Marketing
    • Development
      • How can our stakeholders and partners support our plans and goals? – Ben Grove, Director of Development
    • Closing Feedback Session

4:30 p.m. Meeting Conclusion

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