About Dr. Patricia A. “Patty” Perillo
Dr. Patricia A. “Patty” Perillo is Vice President for Student Affairs and Assistant Professor of Higher Education at Virginia Tech. She provides leadership and oversight for the 23 departments and three administrative units in the Division of Student Affairs. She oversees a budget of nearly $150 million, a staff of approximately 3,400 employees, and has responsibility for more than 30 percent of the physical capital on campus.
Prior to her work at Tech, Dr. Perillo served as Associate Dean of Students at Davidson College and Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). Additional professional experience includes work at the University of Maryland, College Park; State University of New York at both the Plattsburgh and Albany campuses; and, the University of Delaware.
As a transformative leader in higher education for the past 25 years, Dr. Perillo has been actively engaged in all aspects of college life and has had the privileged opportunity to lead and serve in
every functional area within student affairs. She has also worked in academic affairs, and is a
champion of innovative collaborations between academic and student affairs. She obtained her
doctoral degree from the University of Maryland, College Park and her master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Delaware.
As a result of her relational, collaborative, and inclusive leadership, Dr. Perillo was elected to serve as president for ACPA – College Student Educators International. She has served the profession in other capacities including: 2011 ACPA Convention Chair; ACPA and National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Consolidation Steering Committee; ACPA/NASPA Professional Competencies Task Force; and the ACPA Foundation.
She has received many honors and awards including ACPA’s Esther Lloyd Jones Professional
Service Award, ACPA’s Diamond Honoree Award, and inductions into Phi Kappa Phi and Omicron Delta Kappa.
In her free time, Dr. Perillo enjoys spending time with her wonderful family and close community of friends, and engaging in the arts, athletic events, outdoor activities, prayer and reflection, music,
reading, and entertaining.
