CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW)- Scott Ballenger, an associate law professor at UVA, will take over as the school’s secretary to the Board of Visitors.

Ballenger, who got his undergraduate degree from UVA in 1993 and his law degree there in 1996, will take over for Susan Harris, who is stepping aside after 16 years of service in that role.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to have a chance to serve this University that has given so much to me over the years,” Ballenger told UVA Today.

Ballenger was elected as Harris’s successor during a special meeting of the Board of Visitors on Monday.  He has served as Clerk of Court for Justice Antonin Scalia across his career in law before his professorship at his alma mater, UVA. 

Harris will serve as an adviser to the University President for one year before she retires in 2026. A graduate of the School of Law, she started out assisting Leonard Sandridge, working in the General Counsel’s office, and later, alongside late University President John Casteen. 

“The most rewarding part of service as board secretary has been getting to know these remarkable individuals – board members, student representatives and faculty representatives – as well as working across the institution,” Harris told UVA Today.