Dr. Alan Edwards was named interim SCHEV director in January 2024. He joined the agency in 2002 as an associate in the Academic Affairs section and became SCHEV’s first director of Policy Studies in 2006. His role expanded to director of Strategic Planning and Policy Studies in 2021. For most of 2023, he also served as interim director of Finance Policy and Innovation. As interim agency director, Dr. Edwards assists the SCHEV Council (board) in fulfilling its statutory duties as Virginia’s coordinating body for higher education and manages the operations of the 60+-staff state agency.
Dr. Edwards holds a doctorate degree in Educational Policy, Planning, and Leadership from the College of William and Mary, as well as a Master of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is the 2001 recipient of the William and Mary School of Education’s Margaret the Lady Thatcher Medallion for character, scholarship, and service. Dr. Edwards received the Distinguished Scholar Award from the Seabee Memorial Scholarship Association in 2004.
