A. Scott Fleming will lead the Virginia Council on Higher Education, the council announced Thursday after a nearly year-long search process.
SCHEV is the coordinating agency for Virginia's public universities and is tasked with ensuring implementation of state policies across institutions and collecting data on the higher education landscape.
Fleming, a Springfield resident who has served on the city council since last year, most recently served as chief strategy officer for Teaching Solutions, an e-learning company specializing in early childhood education. He also has experience in higher education, serving on the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and as a board member of the Strada Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes the link between education and employment opportunities. I'm here.
In a call with reporters Thursday, Fleming said he would focus on the department's existing priorities of creating opportunities for Virginians to “get a quality education at an affordable price.” He added that he is interested in partially leveraging technology to meet the needs of states and their higher education institutions and make government agencies more agile, “especially as it relates to education and the workforce.” .
“He is a forward-thinking professional who brings tremendous expertise to education,” SCHEV Board of Trustees Chairman Ken Ampey said in a statement Thursday. “He is the right person at the right time for the agency and the commonwealth. The Board of Trustees is confident that Mr. Scott will bring enthusiasm and innovation to SCHEV and Virginia's higher education from day one.”
Mr. Fleming was appointed by Governor Glenn Youngkin to the Commonwealth's Colleges and Universities Board of Regents in July 2023 and served on the Academic Affairs Committee. He resigned from the council to take the director position and was not involved in the hiring negotiations, the statement said.
Former Commissioner Peter Blake retired at the end of 2023 after heading the state agency for about 12 years. The Isaacson Miller search firm conducted the search for a new chief in parallel with a seven-member search committee that included Education Secretary Amy Guidera. Fleming said he expressed interest in the superintendent position in January.
The incoming board member appeared to have moderate views on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion during a call with reporters. DEI has been a point of contention with many in the state's education community since the governor took office in early 2022. This spring, Youngkin's office asked Virginia Commonwealth University and George Mason University to submit syllabi for courses on diversity and race. Ask Guidera for a review.
“It is important for the state to ensure that everyone, including underrepresented communities and people of color, has the opportunity to succeed in higher education,” he said. But he also said that when using public funds, outcomes of student persistence, completion and retention should be prioritized to ensure that those funds are used wisely.
The state Legislature has 13 members and currently includes people appointed by three different governors.
Fleming holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Brigham Young University. His first day in office will be May 28th. He plans to relocate to the Richmond area with his family.
