(The Center Square) – The University of Virginia has appointed Paul G. Mahoney as interim president, effective Aug. 11.
He succeeds Jennifer “J.J.” Wagner Davis, who had served in the role since Jim Ryan’s resignation in June.
Mahoney is a longtime UVA law professor and previously served as dean of the School of Law from 2008 to 2016. The Board of Visitors said it selected him based on community input, academic credentials and leadership experience within the university.
In a statement, Board Rector Rachel Sheridan said Mahoney’s history as a professor, lawyer and public servant made him “the right leader to guide this institution” as the university begins its search for the 10th UVA president.
A member of the law school faculty since 1990, Mahoney held several administrative positions before becoming dean, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and previously served on the SEC’s Investor Advisory Committee.
“I am honored and humbled to serve as the interim president of the University of Virginia,” Mahoney said in a university statement. He thanked the board for its trust and said he looked forward to supporting students, faculty, staff, alumni and parents during the transition.
Ryan announced his resignation in June after the U.S. Department of Justice warned that UVA’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies might violate federal civil rights law. In a letter to the university, he said he couldn’t stay in the role if it meant putting others at risk. He pointed to the possibility of job losses, lost research funding and students losing financial aid.
Earlier this year, the Board of Visitors voted to shut down UVA’s central DEI office and bring programs in line with federal rules. The board cited the Civil Rights Act and a January 2025 executive order from President Donald Trump that tells agencies to end race-based preferences.
As previously reported, some groups supported the change. The Jefferson Council, an alumni group critical of DEI, called Ryan’s departure the end of a “controversial chapter.” The National Association of Scholars called it an opportunity for reform and urged the university to choose a successor “determined to uproot DEI from our colleges.”
