Chris Garcia Named Director of Accreditation and Graduate Programs at College-Level

Following an internal search, Professor Chris Garcia has been selected for the position of Director of Accreditation and Graduate Programs in the newly formed college of business, computer science, economics, and mathematics.

Chris joined the faculty at the University of Mary Washington in the fall of 2011. He was promoted to the rank of professor in 2023 and has served as Associate Dean of the College of Business since 2023. Chris is an accomplished Operations Research and Business Analytics professional with expertise in combinatorial optimization, logistics & transportation, supply chain management, and data analytics.

Chris has served as a consultant for many organizations, including NATO, Capital One, E2Open, Quarles Petroleum, Geico, and various local and regional entities, in areas such as predictive analytics, optimization, and decision support systems. He has published extensively in influential academic journals and presented his work at national conferences. His expertise has significantly impacted the University through his teaching, research, and leadership within the College of Business. Chris earned his Ph.D. in Engineering Management at Old Dominion University. He also holds an M.S. degree in Operations Research as well as B.S. and M.S. degrees in Computer Science. Additionally, Chris is a Certified Ana lytics Professional (CAP®).

In his new leadership role as Director of Accreditation and Graduate Programs, Chris will oversee the accreditation processes and the development and management of graduate programs across the new college. His expertise will help ensure the highest standards of academic quality and drive the strategic growth of our graduate offerings. His extensive experience in data analytics, optimization, and strategic planning will be invaluable as we continue to enhance our graduate-level academic programs and meet the evolving needs of our students and the broader community. In addition, the director will collaborate closely with the dean, the director of undergraduate programs, chairs, and other offices on campus to continue to support, strengthen, and grow the graduate program presence and all assurance of learning initiatives in the new college at UMW.

Thanks to the search committee, Larry Lehman (chair), Shawn Humphrey, Smita Jain Oxford, and Jessica Zeitz, for their commitment to a methodical approach to the search process, their diligent and thoughtful analyses, and the effective, great leadership of Professor Lehman.

Please congratulate Professor Garcia!