Interim directors are filling two integral positions within the Division of Student Affairs. Penny Helms White is interim director of New Student and Family Programs, and Ali Cross is interim director of Recreational Sports.

In her current role as director of Parent and Alumni Relations, White is responsible for leading, managing, and directing parent and alumni relations for the Division of Student Affairs. In her interim position, she takes on the oversight of welcoming new Hokies into the Virginia Tech community during New Student Orientation and Hokie Camp.

White worked with University Development to spearhead the creation of the Division of Student Affairs Parent Committee, the division’s advisory board for former student leaders, and the alumni speakers panel.

Before coming to Virginia Tech, White was assistant director of admissions, associate director of admissions, and director of special and annual giving at Radford University. She received a bachelor’s degree in finance and an M.B.A. from Radford.

Ali Cross, associate director of Recreational Sports, will serve as the department’s interim director. The department’s current director, Chris Wise, was recently named assistant vice president for the Division of Student Affairs in a role that will oversee the division's health and wellness areas.

Cross provides direct oversight of fitness, wellness, instructional, and aquatic programs, as well as marketing and communications, assessment, customer service, and student development. She is a faculty member for the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association School of Collegiate Recreation.

“Ali Cross is a dynamic leader who has served the university for 15 years all in Recreational Sports,” said Wise.  “She is a strategic thinker, she works collaboratively across the Division of Student Affairs and university on many committees, and she is well respected by university peers.”

Cross began her career in Recreational Sports in 1999, when she worked as a graduate assistant after receiving her undergraduate degree in sports medicine from the University of Southern Mississippi. She received her master’s degree in clinical exercise physiology from Virginia Tech in 2002.

The Division of Student Affairs at Virginia Tech encompasses departments dedicated to providing a rich co-curricular experience and essential student services. Virtually every aspect of a student's life outside the classroom is represented through the division's departments.

Written by Holly Paulette.

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