Senior Leadership
Following is information on the Division of Human Resources' (HR) senior leadership. Virginia Tech employs a cohort of HR division directors that are embedded within the teams they support. Each senior management area at Virginia Tech has a dedicated HR representative to help employees, managers, and leaders in that area.
Bryan Garey
Vice President for Human Resources
Bryan has over 25 years of HR and organizational development experience.
As part of the HR team at Virginia Tech, he is spearheading change that will position HR to better support a growing and changing university, helping to create a work environment and experience for all faculty and staff to develop and thrive in support of our bold Beyond Boundaries vision.
Bryan has a bachelor of arts degree (magna cum laude) from St. Mary’s College of Maryland, a master of fine arts degree from the University of Virginia, and a master of sciences degree in management from the University of Florida.
A native of Baltimore, Bryan has spent the last 30 years working as a professional actor and director, educator, and HR professional. His HR experience includes work with a nonprofit startup, a Fortune 100 company, and higher education. Bryan is certified as a Professional in Human Resources through the Society of Human Resources Management and has been a featured speaker at state, regional, and national conferences of human resources and higher education.
Over the years, Bryan has lived in Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Gainesville, and Charlottesville and is happy to be part of the Hokie Nation.
Stephanie Brown
Assistant Vice President,
Administration (Interim)
Stephanie has broad human resources leadership experience, having worked in the field since 1999.
She joined Virginia Tech in 2018 as division director for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and became senior division director in 2023. In September 2024, Stephanie was promoted to the interim role of Assistant Vice President of Administration in the Division of Human Resources.
During her time with Virginia Tech, Stephanie has been able to draw from her experiences working for other venerable academic institutions such as the University of Michigan and Central Michigan University as well as several large, private sector, global organizations (in France, Singapore, Germany, Hong-Kong), including automotive and global logistics. It was these opportunities that truly broadened her perspective, giving her in-depth and invaluable experience in the human resources arena. From strategic planning to operational leadership, from benefits to performance management, Stephanie provided guidance to managers and executives leveraging HR programs to drive results.
Beyond her years of experience, Stephanie also holds a bachelor’s in business administration and a master’s degree in human resources and organizational development from Eastern Michigan University.
Sandee Cheynet
Associate Vice President of Human Resources
Sandee brings 25 years of human resources leadership experience from several Fortune 500 and 100 companies.
She first joined Virginia Tech in 2018, holding several key positions. From December 2018 to October 2019, she served as division director to the Office of the Senior Vice President and Chief Business Officer. In addition, she served as the interim executive director for the Office of the President from July to October 2019.
Sandee returned to Virginia Tech in the role of assistant vice president of talent for Human Resources in 2021 after working as an executive vice president and chief administration officer in the logistics industry. Today, she leads the HR Talent Team, which are the areas of the division that support the entire life cycle of an employee at Virginia Tech. These areas include communication, compensation, employee relations, Hokie Wellness for employees, policy and compliance, talent acquisition/recruiting, talent development, and technology and analytics
She received both a bachelor's and master's in business management from Virginia Tech. She is a certified Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and holds SHRM-SCP and SPHR certifications.
Curtis Mabry
Assistant Vice President for Consulting and Strategic Services
Curtis is a long-time member of the Hokie Nation as both an alumnus and an employee.
He is one of the longest tenured members of the HR team, arriving in 2001. Since that time, he has held multiple roles, including HR specialist, senior compensation analyst, HR manager, director of staffing and recruiting, senior director of HR initiatives and partnerships, and executive director of consulting and strategic initiatives. He was named assistant vice president in February 2022.
Curtis has been instrumental in the development and execution of Virginia Tech’s HR transformation, in particular leading efforts to build the cohort of division directors, who lead the development and delivery of HR services and programs within individual business units and colleges. He has played a key role in recruiting, hiring, and onboarding the division directors and, in his new role, guides the delivery of service and each director's efforts.
Curtis continues to lead other strategic functions such as data analytics and the HR generalist team and provide direct leadership to clients as needs warrant. He also identifies opportunities and spearheads strategic change efforts.