Did you ever wonder who the key people were that affect your lives in Virginia State Government. The following people are the major higher education policy makers in Virginia. They may or may not be in a position to respond to your specific inquiry. Please observe the appropriate etiquette when contacting state officials.

When writing to elected officials, please use the appropriate etiquette. Remember the following:

Letters to the Governor, members of the Governor's Cabinet, the Lieutenant Governor, the Attorney General, members of the House of Delegates and members of the Senate of Virginia should be addressed to:

The Honorable [name of person]

The salutation in the correspondence should read:

Dear Governor [last name]

Dear Lieutenant Governor [last name]

Dear Secretary [last name]

Dear Delegate [last name]

Dear Senator [last name]

Correspondence should address a specific issue as opposed to a wide variety of subjects.

Form letters may not receive a reply.

When asking for specific information held by a state agency, try contacting the specific agency director first. Be patient. It may take several weeks for a response to be written, reviewed, signed, and mailed.

POLICY MAKERS IN VIRGINIA

Elected Officials

Governor Mark Warner

Lieutenant Governor Tim Kane

Attorney General Jerry Kilgore

Appointed Officials

The Honorable Belle Wheelan, Secretary of Education

The Honorable Peter Blake, Deputy Secretary of Education for Higher Education and the State Library

The Honorable Sarah Finley, Deputy Secretary of Education for K-12 and State Museums:

Legislative Branch of State Government

- Senate of Virginia

Education and Health Committee

Finance Committee

- House of Delegates

Committee on Appropriations

Committee on Education

State Agency Personnel

Ms.Phyllis Palmiero, Director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia

Dr. Glen DuBois, Chancellor, VCCS

In order to access links to each of the organizations and individuals above, log on to: http://filebox.vt.edu/chre/elps/EPI/Perspectives/people.htm

This information is available on the website titled Perspectives on Higher Education Policy in Virginia from Virginia Tech. You can access the home page by going to:

http://filebox.vt.edu/chre/elps/EPI/Perspectives/index.htm

Submitted by Gary Spoales, Editor