Melissa Lubin joined the University of Virginia School of Continuing and Professional Studies as Dean in September 2022.
Previously, she served as Dean of Professional & Continuing Education and Chief Economic Engagement Officer at James Madison University. In this role, she oversaw a continuum of learning through every stage and phase of life, work and play, including the Bachelor of Individualized Studies degree completion programs for non-traditional students, Online and Distance Learning graduate degrees and certificate programs, Non-credit professional development programming, Youth enrichment programs, the Lifelong Learning Institute, and the Madison Center for Community Development. Melissa served as the university champion for community engagement and economic development, linking the needs of business, government, community and education through expanding collaboration and public-private partnerships. She is a “practitioner-scholar” who infuses an entrepreneurial spirit to her work in the academy.
Before James Madison University, Melissa was at Virginia Tech, where she was the director of the university’s Commonwealth Campus Centers in Richmond, Newport News, and Virginia Beach, where they created, customized, and facilitated a series of human development programming for organizations in the private and public sector. She is a credentialed executive coach through the International Coach Federation, a master practitioner of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and certified in the EQi emotional intelligence assessment. Prior to Virginia Tech, she held leadership positions in the private sector, including the Apollo Group, Circuit City Inc., and This End Up Furniture.
Melissa earned a Ph.D. in Adult Learning and Human Resource Development from Virginia Tech’s School of Human Development, a Master in Business Administration from Georgia Southern University, and a Bachelor of General Studies from Armstrong State College. Her research interests include andragogy, mentoring, and coaching. She is passionate about learning beyond the degree, empowering individuals to expand their own body of knowledge throughout adulthood to positively impact the well-being of our society.
Melissa and her husband Neil (Regional Sales Manager with Tension, Inc.) have a son, D.C. who is a freshman at James Madison University. They share their home with a Siamese cat (Gilligan) and a border collie (Skipper). In her personal time, Melissa loves to spend time with her family relaxing and boating on the Chesapeake Bay.