The University of Virginia has announced the appointment of Emily Springston as associate vice president, Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights.
Springston has served as Indiana University’s director of institutional equity and Title IX since 2018, and as the university Title IX coordinator since 2014. She will assume her position at UVA March 1.
One of Springston’s key responsibilities will be overseeing UVA’s compliance efforts with civil rights laws and practices and working to strengthen a culture that supports a safe and respectful learning and working community. She will report directly to Kevin G. McDonald, UVA’s vice president for diversity, equity, inclusion and community partnerships.
At IU, Springston oversaw the establishment of the university’s Office of Institutional Equity and the merger of two former offices, the Office of Affirmative Action and the Office of Student Welfare & Title IX. Prior to that, she served as the institution’s chief student welfare and Title IX officer, coordinating the university’s student welfare initiative and Title IX work, aimed at both the prevention and response to all forms of sexual misconduct across all campuses.
After working in private practice as an attorney at the law firm Sidley Austin LLP, in Chicago, Springston joined Indiana University in 2008 to serve as an attorney in the Office of the Vice President and General Counsel. Prior to entering law school, Springston worked for two national non-profit organizations in Washington, D.C., focusing on anti-hunger and anti-poverty policy and advocacy.
She holds a law degree from Indiana University’s Maurer School of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Binghamton University in New York.
Springston will be joined in Charlottesville by her husband, Rob Springston, and their two children, Evelyn, 14, and Webster, 11.
She will succeed Catherine Spear, who departed last year for University of Southern California, where she serves as vice president, Office for Equity, Equal Opportunity, and Title IX.