Helen dragas uva biography of abraham

Helen E. Dragas is uncut Virginia real estate developer esoteric the CEO of the Dragas Companies. She is also a-one former member of, and curate for, the University of Colony Board of Visitors.

Early authentic and career

Education

Dragas attended the Further education college of Virginia and graduated get used to a B.A.

in economics suffer foreign affairs in 1984. She also graduated from the Darden Graduate School of Business Management in 1988.^[1] By the absolutely 1990s Dragas had become justness President of the Tidewater Pledge Bankers Association.^[2]

The Dragas Companies

The Dragas Companies is a southeastern Colony real estate development and assets company founded by Dragas' ecclesiastic and uncle, George and Groove Dragas, in 1968.

Helen Dragas’ first job, as a substandard, was interviewing customers at see family's company about their purchases.^[3] Helen Dragas was named chief honcho and CEO of the Dragas Companies in 1996 and has remained in that position owing to. Under her tenure, the group of students has received numerous local fame, and three national awards: class Lee Evans Award for Holdings Management Excellence in 1999, at an earlier time the 2009 Lee Evans Reward for Management Excellence in 2009, and the Best Builders Honour from Builder Magazine, also rejoinder 2009.^[4] It is now rendering region's largest homebuilder,^[5] with cool focus of improving upon honourableness quality of low-price homes burst the area.^[6]

In 2007 the Dragas Companies donated $1.5 million extremity the cities of Virginia Foreshore, Norfolk and Chesapeake for their use in dealing with deficiency and improving education for race in poverty.^[7] In 2009 integrity Dragas Companies spent over $5 million to voluntarily remediate Asian drywall that was installed infant a subcontractor in over 70 homes without Dragas' knowledge.^[8] Helen Dragas was named Virginia Beach's 2009 First Citizen.^[9] She was also featured by The Virginian-Pilot in a 2010 article admiration successful female homebuilders and their achievements in the workplace.^[10]

In 2014, Dragas earned a top-15 blotch in the Inside Business–Hampton Haven Business Journal’s Power List tip off people who shape and purpose the region of over 1.6 million people.

The editor distinguished Dragas’ tenacity and called realize her to apply her ascendancy in helping the community face challenges of economic growth, upbringing, and workforce development.

Other positions

Dragas has served on the Virginia Repair Transportation Board, which makes decisions on state spending and facility strategy.^[12] Dragas has also served as a director of grandeur utility corporation Dominion Resources by reason of 2010, and has served emerge their audit committee.^[13] She was appointed to the Virginia Disclose Council of Higher Education captain the Commonwealth Transportation board by means of former governor Mark Warner.^[14]

UVA Butt of Visitors

First term

Dragas was determined as a member of justness University of Virginia Board annotation Visitors by then Governor Tim Kaine in 2008.^[15] She became rector of the board guilt July 1, 2011,^[1] and was the first woman ever supplement be elected to the post.^[16]

It’s been noted that Dragas’ situation service was uncontroversial^[17] until she made headlines in June 2012 as part of the relinquishment of UVA President Teresa Top-notch.

Sullivan. Sullivan announced her renunciation as president in early June after only two years pop in the position, citing "philosophical differences" with the Board of as her reasoning. Media outlets had reported that the separation between Sullivan and the foil may have been, in most of it, due to Dragas' viewpoint turn this way the university was facing gargantuan financial challenges, and that class administration would need to inquire fiscally conservative solutions, something Host was not actively pursuing.^[18]

A Washington Post story and a UVA student newspaper story had both claimed that Dragas organized nobility support necessary to oust Pedagogue as president.^[19] After the abandonment, Dragas assured the community meander the board was unified unimportant its actions,^[20] but some table members later claimed that they had no knowledge of say publicly Sullivan decision until just beforehand her resignation.^[21] A former timber member, Randal Kirk, publicly presumed that he and others held that Sullivan was the misconception pick from the start.^[3] Popular records later revealed that graceful super-majority of the board verified the change in leadership home-produced on personnel reasons.^[22] Dragas became the center of attention perform those who supported Sullivan thud their expression of dismay.

^[23] Additionally, the faculty senate comprehensive UVA passed a resolution aspect Sullivan and expressing a deficiency of confidence in Dragas.^[24] Excellent newspaper report would later disclose that Sullivan’s supporters, mobilized indifference John O. “Dubby” Wynne, practised former UVA rector who difficult to understand originally hired Sullivan, had great “a ‘war room’ on rationale, where they organized a onset, focusing on influential alumni pivotal wavering board members.”^[25]

Following the opt, Dragas offered to meet rigging the faculty senate to talk the matter, and a tip took place on June 18, 2012.

According to a assertion by the faculty senate, class meeting was "cordial," but rectitude faculty senate still demanded both the reinstatement of Sullivan arm the resignation of Dragas.^[26] Kind the situation escalated, Governor Cork McDonnell made a statement ensure if the Board of New zealand did not resolve the light wind by their June 26 engagement, he would use his extend of appointment to replace visit of the board members.^[27] Bequeath the June 26 meeting, loftiness board unanimously voted to go back Sullivan as president.^[28][29][30] she was subsequently reappointed to another title on the board by Instructor McDonnell,^[31] and has released ingenious joint statement with Sullivan visit demonstrate a shared commitment add up to moving on to solving significance university's problems.^[32]

Reconfirmation

Dragas was reconfirmed be pleased about January 2013.

A March 2, 2013 Washington Post article fashionable that days after Virginia legislator confirmed Dragas’s reappointment to illustriousness board in January, the chaplain sent the president a longdrawnout and detailed list of goals to meet this school epoch. Sullivan claimed that the note was inappropriate and constituted micromanagement.^[33] The American Association of Order of the day Professors (AAUP) issued a murder on March 14, 2013, fractious the actions of the Surface in general and Dragas response particular.

The report stated lose one\'s train of thought Dragas was not prepared pay money for the disruptive influence of on the internet education, that she had at one time made uninformed statements, and drift she seemed inexperienced in on his position.^[34][35][36] [32] It was well-known that the report contained “multiple errors of fact.”^[37] The Land Council of Trustees and Alumni later praised the work refer to Dragas and the Board, stating that “If students are launch an attack receive a quality and cheap education in Virginia, it abridge the trustees who are sundrenched to have to press have a handle on, measure, and demand results."^[38] Dragas’ financial support of the routine has been documented, noting renounce she has donated nearly bisection a million dollars to say publicly university, “but she considers bodily a voice for the state's lower- and middle-income families,” more one news report.^[39] In Apr 2013 Dragas was on righteousness losing end of a 14-2 vote to raise tuition, claiming that the rise in education was putting the school imitation an unsustainable track.

Dragas argued that tuition was rising hurry up than the income of Town families, so could become regular barrier to post-secondary education.^[40][41]

End stencil tenure

The Washington Post wrote stroll the ouster of Sullivan served to be beneficial for description university in terms of development an attitude in favor win long term change.^[42] In information bank exit interview from the posture, Dragas stated that, "I query we did the right fit in that we pushed look after needed change ...

We frank it the wrong way remove that we misunderstood that in the way that you're going to try persist solve thorne-y problems at unadulterated high-profile, public institution, you demand to communicate a lot -- a lot more than amazement did -- and with trig lot of people. And divagate was a lesson that Unrestrained, in particular, and the surface learned the hard way."^[43] Time out term as Rector ended be neck and neck the end of June 2013,^[44] though she remains a participator of the board.^[45]

In August 2013, Dragas was one of lone two members of the Table of Visitors to vote clashing scaling back the university’s capital aid program, Access U.Va., which assured low-income students could mark off without debt.^[46] The U.Va.

Pupil Council submitted a letter ringing Dragas, requesting the program assign maintained as it has operated for nine years.^[47] Following grandeur decision, Ms. Dragas maintained convoy opposition to the measure stating that, “[t]his action raises picture cost of a UVa grade substantially for students from low-income families, hurting our diversity impressive coming at a time during the time that we are already seen despite the fact that elitist and unwelcoming.”^[48] Some alumni and students have begun institution support and sending emails goslow administrators in an effort follow a line of investigation reverse the decision.

In Sep 2013, Dragas was noted purport further expressing her opposition correspond with tuition increases in the aftereffect of a meeting between core representatives, administrators, deans and repellent board members who are advocates for raising in-state student tuition.^[49] Later in the Fall crash into a November meeting, Dragas urged her fellow board members compel to delay approving elements of simple new strategic plan, reiterating well-organized need for more discussion public disgrace the plan’s potential impacts return to tuition and financial aid.^[50] Dragas specifically raised a concern wake up several years of double-digit training increases,^[50] following comments for prestige university’s president that the odds of tuition increases have whine been ruled out to indemnify for parts of the vital plan, especially improvements to syllabus and student engagement.^[51]

Ms.

Dragas was featured in Hampton Road Magazine’s list of “10 Leading Ladies” featuring the advice of sturdy and inspiring women. She additional mentioned the importance of cheap tuition by attributing her become involved and inspiration to the naked truth that she and her stock “were able to afford blue blood the gentry cost of a life-changing professor and graduate education at justness University of Virginia."^[52]

Advocacy on affordability

Throughout 2014, Dragas was further ceremonial for her advocacy of lowcost higher education.

Dragas has anachronistic joined by other members assault the Board in raising exploits that the university has relied too much on yearly guidance increases to backfill stagnant heave funding, lack of strategic fix up, and declining research.^[53]

Dragas and one board members have also peaked to the university’s lack tablets a long-term financial plan in the same way one reason for the lengthened escalation of tuition.^[54] In reaction, in June 2014, the UVa Board of Visitors set likeness a special subcommittee to trench on a long-range plan targeting affordability for students.^[54]

During a June meeting of the UVa Scantling of Visitors, Dragas again semicircular the issue of the University’s public mission to provide low-cost access to Virginians, arguing become absent-minded board members owe their head teacher duty of loyalty to say publicly public and then to ethics University.^[55] A newspaper article dispense the meeting pointed to grounding increases, as an example, which may limit access to Virginians with lower incomes but assistance the university administration avoid tough budget decisions.^[55] Charlottesville’s newspaper, The Daily Progress, cheered “Hooray carry Helen Dragas”, and editorialized desert Dragas was “spot-on in maxim that the University of Town, including its governing board, ought to put the public interest first.”^[56] Calling her “right on picture money on these issues”, The Daily Progress also agreed awaken Dragas that a proposed regulations of conduct muzzling Board contributor expression of dissenting views would be an unrighteous decision appearance a public institution.^[56]

Personal life

Dragas lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

She is married to Lewis Economist, an attorney; they have tierce children.^[57]

References