TROY PAINO

Since 2016, Troy Paino has served as president of the University of Mary Washington, where he has overseen major construction projects and the growth of academic course offerings.

Paino has also raised the university’s profile. This year, the school ranked No. 131 on U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 Best National Liberal Arts Colleges list. Mary Washington also made several 2026 Princeton Review lists, including Best Value Colleges. Additionally, under Paino’s tenure, the university in 2023 received a $30 million bequest from a 1959 alumna — the largest financial gift in its history.

Paino received the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators’ 2023 President’s Award, recognizing a president or chancellor who has, over a sustained period, advanced the quality of student life on campus.

He was previously president of Truman State University in Missouri and was its vice president of academic affairs beforehand. Prior to joining Truman, he was dean of Minnesota’s Winona State University’s College of Liberal Arts, where he also taught history.

The author of “Social History of the United States: The 1960s,” he holds doctoral and master’s degrees in American studies from Michigan State University, a law degree from Indiana University and a bachelor’s degree from Evangel College.

Paino serves on the board of the Northern Virginia Technology Council and the Virginia Business Higher Education Council. He also chairs the Virginia Council of Presidents.

“President Paino is not just a president,” his nominator said. “He is a convener, a collaborator and a catalyst for Virginia higher education.”