Education: TROY PAINO 

This summer, Paino was recognized with a president’s award by a national student affairs administrators’ organization in recognition of his approach to strategic planning with students in mind.

Since his appointment as Mary Washington’s president in 2016, Paino has focused on student and faculty diversity at the public liberal arts university. Last October, UMW announced the hire of Shavonne Shorter as chief diversity officer, as well as the renaming of an academic hall in honor of the late civil rights leader James Farmer, who was a history professor at UMW. During his tenure, Paino has also overseen the renovation of several buildings. In 2020, the university hosted a “COVID-19 in Context” online course — free to students for credit and the community at large — to educate people about the virus and its impact. At the height of the pandemic, UMW was among the state higher education institutions that had the lowest infection rates. 

A Michigan State alum who also holds a law degree from Indiana University, Paino previously was president of Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. He serves on the Northern Virginia Technology Council board.