Virginia Tech appoints COO from W&M

Virginia Tech announced Wednesday it has named Amy Stoakley Sebring, currently chief operating officer at William & Mary, as its executive vice president and COO, effective Nov. 1.

“I am very pleased to welcome Amy to the university community and our leadership team,” Virginia Tech President Tim Sands said in a statement. “She brings a deep understanding of the business of higher education; great expertise in supporting the teaching, research and engagement mission; and strong relationships in Richmond and higher education in the commonwealth.”

Chris Kiwus has been serving as interim senior vice president and chief business officer while Tech searched for a permanent COO.

Sebring will report to the Sands and work with the executive vice president and provost, the executive leadership team and the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors. She will lead financial and operational activities, including information technology, human resources, policy and governance and planning and facilities management.

“President Sands’ transformational vision to become a top 100 global research university, and the clear momentum the university has to achieve this, captured my interest immediately,” Sebring said in a statement. “As Virginia Tech looks to the future, it is critical that the university align its human, capital, technological and financial resources strategically to maintain and accelerate this momentum.”

Sebring has worked in senior financial management positions at William & Mary for the past seven years. She became COO in 2020 after serving as the school’s chief financial officer and vice president for finance and technology since 2016.

From 2006 to 2016, Sebring served as senior associate dean for finance and administration at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Medicine and as the executive director of MCV Physicians, the affiliated faculty physician group practice.

Before entering the higher education field, Sebring worked for Virginia state government. She held varying roles, including as a higher education and debt analyst for the Virginia Senate Finance Committee, finance policy director for the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and a budget analyst for the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget.

She began her career as a research associate with the Education Commission of the States, a Denver-based nonpartisan policy organization.

Sebring served as the 2020-21 chair of the Council of State Senior Business Officers. She previously was the 2018-19 vice chair. From 2015 to 2016, Sebring served as chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges’ Group on Business Affairs.

She has a bachelor’s degree from Duke University, a master’s degree in public policy from William & Mary and a certificate in accounting from Virginia Commonwealth University.