Gary R. Atkinson

After receiving bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees at the University of Virginia (UVA), Dr. Atkinson became an assistant professor at the university in 1976.
He served as director of UVA's Roanoke Regional Center until 1987, working with the area's business, industry and professional groups in the development of education and training programs.
During this period, he served a four-year term in the faculty senate and was active in other university and community boards and committees.
In 1987, he assumed the duties of founding director of the Roanoke Valley Graduate Center, a multi-university partnership offering graduate and professional programs from around the state in the Roanoke Valley.
In this capacity, he was responsible for developing facilities to bring the Virginia Cooperative Graduate Engineering Program to the area, as well as other satellite-based and on-site offerings.
Dr. Atkinson is a past-president and continuing board member of the International Trade Association of Western Virginia.
He also serves on the board of directors of the New Century Technology Council, the New River Valley Economic Development Alliance and the New Century Venture Center, the Roanoke area's business incubator.
Other current activities include membership on the advisory board for Radford University's International Business Center and on the statewide planning committee for the Virginia Conference on World Trade.