Virginia S. Horvath
Senior Consultant and Senior Executive Coach
Dr. Virginia Schaefer Horvath, Senior Consultant with Academic Search, retired as President of the State University of New York at Fredonia in July 2019, a position she held since 2012. Previously, she served as Vice President for Academic Affairs at SUNY Fredonia and Dean of Academic and Student Services and Assistant to the President for Strategic Planning at Kent State University (Ohio). She held academic rank as a Professor of English at SUNY Fredonia and at Kent State University, with specialties in medieval literature, British literature, children’s/young adult literature, and poetry.
Horvath earned a B.A. in English from the University of Buffalo and an M.A. and Ph.D. in English from Kent State University. She was a Visiting Professor at Shimane University (Japan) and a Fellow with the American Council on Education. She served as a faculty member in the AASCU New Presidents Academy and a mentor and faculty member in the Millennium Leadership Initiative. Formerly the co-chair of the Western New York Regional Economic Development Council, Horvath has served on the Boards of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, Lake Erie Regional Health System of New York/Brooks Memorial Hospital, Millennium Leadership Initiative, Chautauqua County Chamber of Commerce, Girl Scouts of Western New York, and the Buffalo Seminary.
Horvath has more than 30 years of experience in recruiting faculty and staff in higher education. As a senior administrator, she has been actively involved in hiring dozens of presidents, vice presidents, deans, and directors and in coaching college and university leaders through transitions to their new roles.
