A higher education expert with decades of experience in capital planning and business services will become the University of Virginia’s next senior vice president for operations, the University announced Wednesday.
Lois Stanley, a Virginia native now at Brandeis University in Massachusetts, will begin her new role on Aug. 18, replacing Colette Sheehy, who retired earlier this month after serving the University for nearly 43 years.
Lois Stanley is scheduled to report to Grounds next month as the University’s senior vice president for operations. (Contributed photo)
Stanley will be responsible for 2,500 staff members and will oversee a wide swath of University operations, including:
- Office of the Architect
- Office of the University Building Official
- Facilities Management
- UVA Dine
- Parking and Transportation
- University Bookstore and Cavalier Computers
- UVA Printing & Copying Services
- Housing & Residence Life
- UVA Mail Services
“I look forward to returning to my home state and joining a university community that so highly values its amazing history while shaping the future through excellence in education, research and health care,” Stanley said. “I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to lead the team of top-notch experts in operations responsible for Grounds stewardship and service delivery.”
Stanley will report to Jennifer “J.J.” Wagner Davis, the University’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, who is also serving as the University’s acting president.
“With over two decades of proven experience in higher education, we are both thrilled and fortunate to welcome Lois to UVA,” Davis said. “Lois brings a depth of experience in all facets of service-oriented operations, disciplined budgeting and strategic capital management that will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen UVA’s infrastructure and support our academic mission. I look forward to the leadership and collaboration she will bring to this role and the University.”
At Brandeis, Stanley has served as vice president for campus planning and operations since 2019, overseeing a phased housing program that included new construction of a 630-bed residential hall, extensive renovations and removal of aging facilities. Before Brandeis, Stanley was the director of campus and capital renewal planning at Tufts University. Stanley has also worked as a capital project manager at Harvard University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
Stanley grew up in Virginia Beach. She earned a Bachelor of Science in business management from Virginia Tech, a Master of City Planning from Georgia Institute of Technology, and a doctorate in urban studies and planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
