Youngkin appoints former Attorney General Cuccinelli to UVA Board of Visitors

Within four hours on Wednesday, Governor Glenn Youngkin fired one member of the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors and then appointed a former Virginia Attorney General as his replacement. 

“Ken Cuccinelli is a man of deep principle and an incredibly accomplished Virginian,” Youngkin wrote in an email that went out at 8:58 p.m. “I have full confidence he will help ensure Mr. Jefferson’s University remains a place of opportunity, merit, and academic freedom.”

In an email that went out at 4:53 p.m, Youngkin publicly notified U. Bertram Ellis, Jr. that he was being let go. That story is here.

The Washington Post has reported that Youngkin has asked Ellis to resign, but Ellis refused.

Cuccinelli earned an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from UVA before getting a law degree and a graduate degree from George Mason University. He served in Virginia’s 37th Senate District from 2002 to 2010 and was elected as Attorney General in 2009. 

“It is an honor to return to public service in the Commonwealth of Virginia as a member of the UVA Board of Visitors,” Cuccinelli is quoted in the press release. “As an alumnus who loves this university deeply, I’m committed to aggressively advancing plans to restore a culture of merit and end all forms of discrimination.”

The UVA Board of Visitors recently voted to direct the UVA administration to close the diversity, equity, and inclusion office. This newsletter has not yet been able to document exactly what was said, but if you want to hear several other stories, take a look at the podcast edition from March 14 which has all of the relevant links. 

For more information on the Cuccinelli’s selection and his chances of being approved, take a look at an article on Brandon Jarvis’ political newsletter. 

Top photo: Ken Cuccinelli in 2019 when he was Acting Director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Public domain photo obtained from WikiCommons.

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