“Mary Washington is uniquely situated to become a national model of a public liberal arts university,” President Troy D. Paino told the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce Roundtable.
Paino, who became the tenth president of the University of Mary Washington (UMW) this month, was the featured speaker at the group’s July 26 breakfast.
“UMW is a tributary of service to Fredericksburg and the surrounding region, in the interest of economic development and quality of life,” he said of his vision.
A UMW search consultant contacted Paino about the job in the fall of 2015. “My thought was it’s too bad it’s not a few years down the road,” he said. “I was intrigued by the status of Mary Washington, the opportunities it held, and the Fredericksburg region, but I thought I still had work to do at Truman [State University].”
Over the course of the next month, cabinet level individuals began retiring at Truman. “My leadership team was transitioning out, and the map kind of changed for me in October,” he said. He called the search consultant and expressed his interest in the job. He was just in time.
As his journey to UMW progressed, Paino kept thinking he was going to find out something about Mary Washington or Fredericksburg that would change his mind. “As I learned more and more every step of the way, and with every person I met, I became more and more excited,” he said.
He and his family were attracted by the historic downtown, the sense of community, and the amenities of being between two larger metropolitan areas. “My family and I thought the assets, and the potential for the future of Fredericksburg and the university were too positive to pass up,” Paino said. “I’m incredibly bullish on the future here.”
Paino and his wife Kelly have two daughters, Sophia and Chloe. “We look forward to becoming part of this community. We are eager to put roots down.”
.@UMaryWash Pres Troy Paino speaking to @FredRegChamber gathering. pic.twitter.com/bDlRT1Kbjz— Fredericksburg.Today (@Fxbg2day) July 26, 2016
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Troy D. Paino Named UMW’s Tenth President
