On Tuesday, the Board of Visitors held a virtual meeting and unanimously appointed John Harris to the Health System Board, which oversees U.Va. Health and the Medical Center. This follows Harris’s earlier appointment by Governor Glenn Youngkin that was blocked by the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee in August.
The original plan for the meeting was to discuss candidates for the University president role. However, following the appointment of Scott Beardsley as the University’s 10th president on December 19, the agenda shifted.
The Health System Board (HSB) manages the Medical Center, the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing, and U.Va. Community Health. The Board Rector and six other members serve as voting members. They can also appoint up to six non-voting public members for up to four-year terms. Harris was appointed as one of these public members.
Harris is a 1982 alumnus and works as a private investor. He previously held roles as managing director and CFO at The Carlyle Group until 2010. Currently, he is on the board of Pretred Inc., which specializes in waste management, and advises Locus Health, a company focusing on remote patient monitoring.
Interestingly, Virginia law allows the governor to remove Board members but lacks clarity on whether public HSB members can be removed. According to the Board Manual, public members do not need approval from the General Assembly, unlike regular voting members.
In a related development, Jim Donovan, another appointee blocked earlier this year, was recently selected for the search committee for the University’s next executive vice president and provost. Donovan is an adjunct law professor at the University.
While the current governor-elect, Abigail Spanberger, has not indicated any plans to remove Board members, she has expressed an intention to fill five vacant seats shortly after her inauguration on January 17.
Aside from Harris’s appointment, the rest of the meeting was held in closed session. Although he wasn’t present, his term started on Tuesday and will last until June 2030.
As governance changes unfold, it’s worth noting how leadership affects institution policies and direction. Studies show that diverse boards often lead to better decision-making and improved institutional performance. Engaging voices from various backgrounds can drive innovation and ensure that multiple perspectives are considered in academic governance.
For further details, you can check the Board Manual.
