Administration

Assistant Dean for Advancement Julia Allen Phone: 828/409-0775 (cell) Email: Advancement Associate Zai Cook Phone: 540/231-3929 Email: Director of Communications & Marketing Krista Timney Phone: 540/231-4160 Email: Digital Communications Manager Victoria Boatwright Phone: 540/589-7849 Email: Director of Alumni Relations Tanya Ridpath Phone: 540/231-2332 Email: Assistant Director for Leadership Gifts James H. Eddleton Phone: 540/231-8387 Email:

Introduction

Advancement is comprised of three areas of expertise: development, communications, and alumni engagement. The College Advancement Team has six full-time team members. Julia Allen joined the college of Architecture, Arts, and Design as assistant dean of advancement in May 2022. She reports to the dean of the college and to Dan Cleveland, assistant vice president for advancement, colleges and units, in the university’s advancement division. Julia works to unite the college’s development, alumni relations, and communications programs with the goals of elevating philanthropic support, enhancing alumni engagement, and raising the college’s profile. She also works to identify and seek support for college fundraising priorities within Virginia Tech’s capital campaign in collaboration with the college’s dean, leadership team, and faculty. Before joining AAD, Julia served as the assistant dean of advancement for CNRE for 3 years. Prior to that position, she served as the chief development officer for Gaston College, a member institution of the NC Community College system. In collaboration with the president and volunteer leadership, she developed and led strategic annual advancement plans, including the college’s legislative agenda, in support of current and capital priorities. She also served as the executive director for the Gaston College Foundation and managed the foundation’s endowed assets of nearly \$10mm. Before joining Gaston College, Julia served as Vice President for Advancement at Discovery Place, Inc., a nationally known organization dedicated to informal science and early childhood education. She also served as the Executive Director of Development at Lenoir-Rhyne University, where she held responsibility for annual giving, alumni relations, and corporate and foundation relations efforts. Julia holds a bachelor of arts degree in English and Philosophy from Lenoir-Rhyne University, and a master of arts degree in Higher Education, with a concentration in community college and university leadership, from Appalachian State University. When not in the office, Julia can be found on lakes, rivers, or trails throughout NC and VA, or in the backyard tending her chickens or playing with the family’s dogs. She and her husband, Tim, are the proud parents of one grown son, Stephen. Zai Cook joined the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design as the advancement associate in March of 2023. He reports to the assistant dean of advancement for AAD, Julia Allen. Zai’s primary role is stewardship of AAD’s donors. He’s responsible for communicating with school and program directors regarding new donations and facilitating acknowledgement letters, facilitating recognition events, ordering office supplies and swag, and general donor interactions (reimbursements for Prospect Managers, documentation of interactions in AIMs, calendar management, depositing of donations to the Foundation, student Thank Yous for scholarships, etc.). Prior to returning to the US, Zai spent two years abroad in Perth, Western Australia. He worked for a Healthcare Startup that specialized in in-home care for persons with disabilities and aged care clients. Having worked through every team, from verifications to customer support to quality assurance to finance, he helped to develop many of the companies long standing policies and procedures that are still in use by the company today. Zai is a graduate of Virginia Tech’s Bachelor of Architecture program. He completed his degree in 2020 with a virtual graduation after an uncountable number of studio hours. He was an active member of the American Institute of Architecture Students as well as the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students and enjoyed traveling, both domestically for service projects and conferences as well as studying abroad in Europe. Despite five years at Virginia Tech, he’s still routinely able to learn something new about the college, much to the reassurance of his teammates. When not chasing missed buses, Zai maintains an eclectic range of hobbies, including reading (currently Main Streets and Urban Alchemy by Mindy Fullilove and War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy), making audio recordings of his book, and practicing his Armenian. He also enjoys part time work with Blacksburg Transit, creating spreadsheets to manage his finances, annual leave, home buying, and vacations, keeping a journal of his favorite conversations, as well as recreational photography. James Eddleton joined the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design in January 2024 as Assistant Director of Leadership Gifts. In this role, he is responsible for securing support for college and university fundraising priorities in collaboration with college leadership and faculty. James received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Roanoke College in December 2023. In his time at Roanoke College, James worked in the Office of Admissions, The Center for Spiritual Life and Campus Ministry, and the Office of Advancement, most recently serving as an intern with the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, hosted at Roanoke College. James maintains membership in both the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the Society of Human Resource Managers. Before Roanoke College, James worked in various roles in the restaurant industry, including the Farmhouse Restaurant, Mac & Bob’s Restaurant, and the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center. Outside of the office, James is an avid outdoorsman and can be found running, hiking, and cycling through the mountains of Southwest Virginia. Tanya Ridpath joined the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design as director of alumni relations in November of 2022. She received her Bachelor of Science in interior design from Virginia Tech and a Master of Science in corporate and professional communication from Radford University. Over the past 20 years, Tanya has been a leader in higher education serving Roanoke College and Radford University. Her background includes conference and high-profile event management, community engagement, as well as life-long-learning program development. Tanya is a creative problem solver passionate about experiential learning and community building. She is thrilled to return home to Virginia Tech as a collaborative team member with the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design. Kris Timney joined the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design in June 2024 as the director of communications. Her primary responsibility is to tell the story of the college by sharing the great work that is taking place in learning, research, and outreach by our students, faculty, and staff. More specifically, Kris will lead the college’s communications team in envisioning a comprehensive, multichannel, digital-first communications plan for the college and leading the execution of campaigns and activities that align with college and university strategic goals and initiatives. As a member of the college’s advancement team, she will contribute to coordinated efforts to increase alumni and donor engagement and meet philanthropic goals. Kris arrived in Blacksburg in 2018 and served as the communications director for the College of Natural Resources and Environment. Previously to her tenure as a Hokie, she was a Hoosier, spending eight years as the senior associate director of marketing and communications for the Office of Admissions at Indiana University in Bloomington. Kris earned a B.A. in English from James Madison University, M.A. in English from Penn State, M.Ed. in guidance and counseling from Frostburg State University, and a Ph.D. in educational leadership from Clemson University. In her free time, Kris is an avid reader, genealogist, traveler, walker, and hiker. When the mountains call, she must go. Victoria Boatwright is a communications professional with ten years of experience working in Virginia Tech's Division of Student Affairs. She has worked with Dining Services since 2014, first as the web developer / social & print media coordinator and later as the marketing & communications manager. In April 2022, she joined the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design as the digital communications manager. Victoria specializes in team and project management, social media, web design, and graphic design. She graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design. Who to call when you need...

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