Charles W Steger

Charles W. Steger was the 15th president of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), where he studied architecture and earned a Ph.D. in engineering. Dr. Steger’s presidency was one of the longest and most impactful terms in Virginia Tech history. He created interdisciplinary institutes, grew the research portfolio by 250 percent, oversaw the creation of a medical school and concluded a fundraising campaign that exceeded $1 billion. In 2003, he was appointed by Governor Warner to chair the Steering Committee on Research Capabilities and Centers of Excellence. He chaired the board for the Center for Innovative Technology, served as chairman of the board of the Jefferson National Lab, served on the Northern Virginia Technology Council, was Chairman of the board of the Center for Innovative Technology (CIT), founded the World Institute for Disaster Risk Management with colleagues in Switzerland, and was Chairman of the Council of Presidents and chair of the Executive Committee of the Southeastern Universities Research Association. Currently, Dr. Steger serves as Executive Director of the Global Forum on Urban and Regional Resilience, a member of the boards of the National Institute of Building Sciences and the Economic Club of Washington, and is a Fellow in the American Institute of Architects. He also is a member of the advisory panel to the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, Division of Earth and Life Studies. Survivors include his wife of 48 years, Janet.