UVa names new Board of Visitors secretary

The University of Virginia has named a new secretary to the Board of Visitors, the oldest administration position at the institution.

Susan G. Harris, an attorney and a 21-year veteran of UVa administration, has been named secretary to the Board of Visitors and special assistant to UVa President John T. Casteen III. Harris is the first woman to be named to the secretary post, which was established in 1819 and was first held by Thomas Jefferson. She began work May 1.

A 1987 graduate of the UVa School of Law, Harris, 47, began her university career in the general counsel’s office. She later became the assistant to Leonard W. Sandridge, UVa’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, where she worked closely with several specific units, including the Department of Athletics, the UVa Medical Center, the University Police, the Office of Emergency Management, the University of Virginia Foundation and the University of Virginia Investment Management Company.

Harris is a member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys, the Virginia State Bar and the American Bar Association.

She succeeds Alexander “Sandy” Gilliam, who retired from the post at the end of April after having served since 1991. He continues to work part-time as the university’s history and protocol officer.