Building for the future

Dana Reed Fox ’07 learned valuable lessons as a construction management student at ECU. As the chief operating officer of Richmond (Virginia) Public Schools, she puts those lessons to work making sure 22,000 students have the proper facilities in which to learn.

Dana Fox

“Every part of the work affects student achievement,” Fox said. “Whether it’s building an entirely new school, transporting students to and from school, installing technology or repairing building equipment — all of these things impact learning, and it makes the work incredibly meaningful and also incredibly important.”

Her biggest project — and the one she’s most proud of — involves the rebuilding of William Fox Elementary School after a fire destroyed the 100-year-old building in 2022.

“Walking through the building after the fire had been extinguished is a memory I will never forget,” Fox said. “Charred backpacks and children’s coats that were still hanging in burnt-up classrooms, the amount of catastrophic damage that the water caused from extinguishing the flames, the personal teacher items like photos, posters and trinkets either soaked or melted — it was really powerful and emotional to experience, but I knew the work had to start to bring it back to life.”

She says school system, community and legislative support have been crucial in getting the school rebuilt, with a scheduled opening in the fall of 2025.

“The process of rebuilding this school and the impact on the community are something I will forever be grateful to be a part of,” Fox said.

While in commercial construction, Fox helped with the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design building on the campus of James Madison University. LEED is a framework for more energy-efficient and cost-saving green buildings, a method Fox supports in her work in Richmond.

“It has become a building standard, and while the target does continue to move and the costs continue to increase, I do think healthy, sustainable buildings are valuable and important,” she said.

Fox lives in Chesterfield, Virginia. A mother of five, she’s the youngest COO in the school division’s history and oversees a staff of 4,500. She was named an Emerging Leader for the Southeastern Association of School Business Officials and was recognized with an RVA BizSense Power Women Under 40 award. She credits her ECU education for giving her a great foundation.

She graduated from ECU at a time when, she said, few construction management majors were women.

“Even as the only female in most of my classes, it helped shape how I continue to scale the mountain in a male-dominated field,” Fox says. “While the numbers of women in the industry are increasing, there is still a lot of work to do, and my passion is sharing my journey with others and advocating for gender equity.”

Looking back, she said the campus energy and atmosphere drew her to ECU, and she feels honored to be a graduate.

“ECU was truly the best decision I could have made,” Fox said. “And I tell everyone that any chance I get.”