President's Biography
Bret Danilowicz, Ph.D. began serving as president of Radford University on July 1, 2022. A strong advocate of shared governance and transparency, Dr. Danilowicz brings 22 years of higher education leadership experience to the presidency. Most recently, he served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Florida Atlantic University. As provost, he implemented incentive-based budgeting, coordinated a nation-leading improvement in graduation rates, established a public forum for civil discourse, and developed and implemented strategies for advancement towards R1 reclassification.
Before joining Florida Atlantic University, he served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Oklahoma State University. There, he created a shared governance strategic planning and budgeting process, diversified college and departmental leadership, established a college-wide focus on diversity and inclusion, and always exceeded fundraising goals. While dean, he co-authored “Organizing Academic Colleges,” which uses models and case studies to describe how to successfully navigate administrative reorganizations.
Previously, he was associate dean, then dean, of the College of Science and Technology at Georgia Southern University. He added engineering programs, thereby disrupting a long-standing state monopoly held by Georgia Tech, greatly expanded undergraduate research opportunities, and initiated the university’s nationally recognized sustainability efforts. His administrative journey started as associate dean of science at University College Dublin, Ireland, with a focus on student success.
Dr. Danilowicz attained a B.S. in biology from Utica College of Syracuse University. He went on to earn a Ph.D. in zoology from Duke University, an M.A. in education leadership and management from Open University, and finally an MBA from Georgia Southern University.
Dr. Danilowicz is married to First Lady Kay Danilowicz, who is an experienced pediatric speech language pathologist and has worked extensively with early intervention and school-aged children. They are the proud parents of Torin, Brynn, Teagan, and Cullen, and are active in the communities where they live. They co-trained a therapy dog and served as a pet therapy team at universities and in healthcare settings. They have built sets, worked backstage, and performed onstage in local theatre, coached soccer, and served on non-profit and educational boards. When not at work or with the community, both enjoy exploring the outdoors, riding their horses, and spoiling their dogs, Bainne and Koda.