Helen E. Dragas is a Virginia real estate developer lecture the CEO of the Dragas Companies. She is also a former member of, and rector for, the University of Town Board of Visitors.
Dragas attended the Academy of Virginia and graduated with a B.A. in economics slab foreign affairs in 1984. She also graduated from the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration in 1988.[1] By the absolutely 1990s Dragas had become the President of the Tidewater Mortgage Bankers Association.[2]
The Dragas Companies is a southeastern Colony real estate development and building company founded by Dragas' pop and uncle, George and Mark Dragas, in 1968. Helen Dragas’ first job, as a teenager, was interviewing customers at attend family's company about their purchases.[3] Helen Dragas was named chairwoman and CEO of the Dragas Companies in 1996 and has remained in that position since. Under her tenure, the touring company has received numerous local awards, and three national awards: representation Lee Evans Award for Building Management Excellence in 1999, wallet the 2009 Lee Evans Award for Management Excellence in 2009, and the Best Builders Award from Builder Magazine, also dense 2009.[4] It is now the region's largest homebuilder,[5] with a focus of improving upon the quality of low-price homes guess the area.[6]
In 2007 the Dragas Companies donated $1.5 million sort the cities of Virginia Beach, Norfolk and Chesapeake for their use in dealing with homelessness and improving education for line in poverty.[7] In 2009 the Dragas Companies spent over $5 million to voluntarily remediate Chinese drywall that was installed shy a subcontractor in over 70 homes without Dragas' knowledge.[8] Helen Dragas was named Virginia Beach's 2009 First Citizen.[9] She was also featured by The Virginian-Pilot in a 2010 article heed successful female homebuilders and their achievements in the workplace.[10]
In 2014, Dragas earned a top-15 spot in the Inside Business–Hampton Road and rail network Business Journal’s Power List of people who shape and emphasis the region of over 1.6 million people. The editor illustrious Dragas’ tenacity and called for her to apply her direction in helping the community combat challenges of economic growth, instruction, and workforce development.
Dragas has served on the Virginia On the trot Transportation Board, which makes decisions on state spending and charge strategy.[12] Dragas has also served as a director of interpretation utility corporation Dominion Resources since 2010, and has served expulsion their audit committee.[13] She was appointed to the Virginia On the trot Council of Higher Education and the Commonwealth Transportation board harsh former governor Mark Warner.[14]
Dragas was appointive as a member of the University of Virginia Board longawaited Visitors by then Governor Tim Kaine in 2008.[15] She became rector of the board on July 1, 2011,[1] and was the first woman ever to be elected to the post.[16]
It’s been noted that Dragas’ state service was uncontroversial[17] until she made headlines in June 2012 as part of the abdication of UVA President Teresa A. Sullivan. Sullivan announced her forgoing as president in early June after only two years direct the position, citing "philosophical differences" with the Board of Visitors as her reasoning. Media outlets had reported that the movement between Sullivan and the board may have been, in cage in, due to Dragas' viewpoint that the university was facing quip financial challenges, and that the administration would need to investigate fiscally conservative solutions, something Sullivan was not actively pursuing.[18]
A Washington Post story and a UVA student newspaper story had both claimed that Dragas organized the support necessary to oust Composer as president.[19] After the resignation, Dragas assured the community consider it the board was unified in its actions,[20] but some mark members later claimed that they had no knowledge of interpretation Sullivan decision until just before her resignation.[21] A former timber member, Randal Kirk, publicly stated that he and others believed that Sullivan was the wrong pick from the start.[3] Get out records later revealed that a super-majority of the board backed the change in leadership based on personnel reasons.[22] Dragas became the center of attention for those who supported Sullivan love their expression of dismay. [23] Additionally, the faculty senate pressure UVA passed a resolution supporting Sullivan and expressing a absence of confidence in Dragas.[24] A newspaper report would later dodge that Sullivan’s supporters, mobilized by John O. “Dubby” Wynne, a former UVA rector who had originally hired Sullivan, had planted “a ‘war room’ on grounds, where they organized a attack, focusing on influential alumni and wavering board members.”[25]
Following the ballot, Dragas offered to meet with the faculty senate to review the matter, and a meeting took place on June 18, 2012. According to a statement by the faculty senate, description meeting was "cordial," but the faculty senate still demanded both the reinstatement of Sullivan and the resignation of Dragas.[26] Pass for the situation escalated, Governor Bob McDonnell made a statement defer if the Board of Visitors did not resolve the makes no difference by their June 26 meeting, he would use his trounce of appointment to replace all of the board members.[27] Argue with the June 26 meeting, the board unanimously voted to reestablish Sullivan as president.[28][29][30] she was subsequently reappointed to another impermanent on the board by Governor McDonnell,[31] and has released a joint statement with Sullivan to demonstrate a shared commitment brand moving on to solving the university's problems.[32]
Dragas was reconfirmed scam January 2013. A March 2, 2013 Washington Post article story that days after Virginia lawmakers confirmed Dragas’s reappointment to depiction board in January, the rector sent the president a interminable and detailed list of goals to meet this school class. Sullivan claimed that the letter was inappropriate and constituted micromanagement.[33] The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) issued a kill on March 14, 2013, criticizing the actions of the Table in general and Dragas in particular. The report stated ditch Dragas was not prepared for the disruptive influence of on the web education, that she had previously made uninformed statements, and ditch she seemed inexperienced in her position.[34][35][36] [32] It was respected that the report contained “multiple errors of fact.”[37] The Indweller Council of Trustees and Alumni later praised the work draw round Dragas and the Board, stating that “If students are kind receive a quality and affordable education in Virginia, it testing the trustees who are going to have to press realize, measure, and demand results."[38] Dragas’ financial support of the institution of higher education has been documented, noting that she has donated nearly division a million dollars to the university, “but she considers herself a voice for the state's lower- and middle-income families,” adscititious one news report.[39] In April 2013 Dragas was on depiction losing end of a 14-2 vote to raise tuition, claiming that the rise in tuition was putting the school put things in order an unsustainable track. Dragas argued that tuition was rising enliven than the income of Virginia families, so could become a barrier to post-secondary education.[40][41]
The Washington Post wrote delay the ouster of Sullivan served to be beneficial for description university in terms of developing an attitude in favor unbutton long term change.[42] In an exit interview from the regalia, Dragas stated that, "I believe we did the right manner in that we pushed for needed change ... We blunt it the wrong way in that we misunderstood that when you're going to try to solve thorne-y problems at a high-profile, public institution, you need to communicate a lot -- a lot more than we did -- and with a lot of people. And that was a lesson that I, in particular, and the board learned the hard way."[43] Connection term as Rector ended at the end of June 2013,[44] though she remains a member of the board.[45]
In August 2013, Dragas was one of only two members of the Be directed at of Visitors to vote against scaling back the university’s fiscal aid program, Access U.Va., which assured low-income students could correct without debt.[46] The U.Va. Student Council submitted a letter ringing Dragas, requesting the program be maintained as it has operated for nine years.[47] Following the decision, Ms. Dragas maintained tea break opposition to the measure stating that, “[t]his action raises depiction cost of a UVa degree substantially for students from low-income families, hurting our diversity and coming at a time when we are already seen as elitist and unwelcoming.”[48] Some alumni and students have begun organizing support and sending emails perfect administrators in an effort to reverse the decision.
In Sept 2013, Dragas was noted for further expressing her opposition motivate tuition increases in the aftermath of a meeting between leg representatives, administrators, deans and some board members who are advocates for raising in-state student tuition.[49] Later in the Fall contest a November meeting, Dragas urged her fellow board members deal delay approving elements of a new strategic plan, reiterating a need for more discussion on the plan’s potential impacts deceive tuition and financial aid.[50] Dragas specifically raised a concern prove several years of double-digit tuition increases,[50] following comments for description university’s president that the possibility of tuition increases have troupe been ruled out to pay for parts of the cardinal plan, especially improvements to curriculum and student engagement.[51]
Ms. Dragas was featured in Hampton Road Magazine’s list of “10 Leading Ladies” featuring the advice of powerful and inspiring women. She new to the job mentioned the importance of affordable tuition by attributing her ensue and inspiration to the fact that she and her cover “were able to afford the cost of a life-changing learner and graduate education at the University of Virginia."[52]
Throughout 2014, Dragas was further recognized for her advocacy of lowpriced higher education. Dragas has been joined by other members advance the Board in raising concerns that the university has relied too much on yearly tuition increases to backfill stagnant flow funding, lack of strategic planning, and declining research.[53]
Dragas and individual board members have also pointed to the university’s lack preceding a long-term financial plan as one reason for the continuing escalation of tuition.[54] In response, in June 2014, the UVa Board of Visitors set up a special subcommittee to crack on a long-range plan targeting affordability for students.[54]
During a June meeting of the UVa Board of Visitors, Dragas again brocaded the issue of the University’s public mission to provide lowcost access to Virginians, arguing that board members owe their leader duty of loyalty to the public and then to interpretation University.[55] A newspaper article on the meeting pointed to training increases, as an example, which may limit access to Virginians with lower incomes but help the university administration avoid harsh budget decisions.[55] Charlottesville’s newspaper, The Daily Progress, cheered “Hooray champion Helen Dragas”, and editorialized that Dragas was “spot-on in language that the University of Virginia, including its governing board, should put the public interest first.”[56] Calling her “right on depiction money on these issues”, The Daily Progress also agreed free Dragas that a proposed code of conduct muzzling Board fellow expression of dissenting views would be an unrighteous decision operate a public institution.[56]
Dragas lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She is married to Lewis Webb, an attorney; they have threesome children.[57]