Dragas confirmed for new term on U.Va. board

Published January 29, 2013 by Robert Powell, III

The Virginia General Assembly has confirmed Helen Dragas’ reappointment to the University of Virginia Board of Visitors, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.

Dragas, the board’s rector since July 2011, led an unsuccessful attempt to force out U.Va. President Teresa Sullivan last June. The ouster attempt threw the Charlottesville campus into turmoil until Sullivan was reinstated 16 days later.

Dragas, the head of a family-owned home construction company in Virginia Beach, was reappointed to the board by Gov. Bob McDonald in July despite vocal opposition from many people connected to U.Va. All board appointments, however, have to be confirmed by the General Assembly.

One Tuesday, the House of Delegates voted 63-33 to give her a second, four-year term. The state Senate had voted in Dragas’ favor earlier in the session.