Executive Director

Scott Fleming joined SCHEV as its executive director on May 25, 2024. Prior to joining SCHEV, Fleming was the chief strategy officer for Teaching Strategies, one of the nation’s leading e-learning organizations. In addition, he was a 2023 appointee of Governor Youngkin to the SCHEV Council and resigned his appointment to serve as executive director.

Fleming has led a substantial career in the education sector, leveraging his expertise across public, private and nonprofit organizations. As a staff member to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, he led the reauthorizations of the Higher Education Act in 2005 and the Carl D. Perkins Technical and Vocational Act in 2006. His efforts shaped policies to enrich educational opportunities and workforce development.

After several years on Capitol Hill, Fleming transitioned into management consulting and subsequent leadership roles at renowned education companies, including Scantron, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and Teaching Strategies. His influence extended into the nonprofit sphere as a C-level executive at the Strada Education Foundation, where he applied his strategic approach to advocate for and improve the outcomes of higher education.

He holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Brigham Young University.

Finance Policy & Innovation Director

Mr. Lee Andes has served as the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia’s (SCHEV) Director of Finance Policy & Innovation since 2025. Mr. Andes provides leadership and coordination for state finance policies relating to public institutions of higher education, including funding recommendations, policy analysis, institutional six-year plans, government relations, etc. He also oversees SCHEV’s office of financial aid and College Access & PK12 Outreach, which administers the federal GEAR UP program as well as coordinates college access initiatives across the state.

Mr. Andes has been at SCHEV for 27 years overseeing the agency’s financial aid section. While at SCHEV, Mr. Andes collaborated to form the Virginia College Access Network (VirginiaCAN) and served as the organization’s first president. Mr Andes has also served as President of the National Association of State Student Grant & Aid Programs (NASSGAP) and as chair of the College Board’s Southern Regional Council.

Interim Budget and Finance Director

Lynne Brownlee currently serves as the Interim Budget and Finance Director at the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV).   Her responsibilities include managing a budget of over 240 million dollars, which includes financial aid disbursements, payments to internal and external stake holders, payroll accounting, procurement, Agency Risk Management and Internal Control Standards (ARMICS) and financial reporting.  

A financial professional for more than three decades, Mrs. Brownlee has served in public, private, and not-for-profit industries.   She been with SCHEV since 2003, where she has worked in federal grants management, and as the Budget and Finance Manager.  Prior to her time at SCHEV, Mrs. Brownlee served as an Adjutant General officer in the United States Army, where she received many awards including the Army Achievement Medal and the Army Commendation Medal for meritorious service.  She graduated with a B.A. from the University of Virginia and received her Master of Business Administration from the University of Richmond with a concentration in Leadership.   

Director of Academic Affairs and Planning

Dr. Joseph DeFilippo has served as the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia’s (SCHEV) Director of Academic Affairs and Planning since 2006. Dr. DeFilippo provides leadership and coordination for state academic policies relating to public institutions of higher education, including institutional program approval, transfer and articulation, program productivity, changes of mission statement, and new instructional sites. He also oversees SCHEV’s office of Private Postsecondary Education (PPE), which authorizes certain private and out of state institutions to operate in Virginia.

Before coming to SCHEV, Dr. DeFilippo served as Assistant Provost and head of the Office of Academic Programs and Planning at the State University of New York (SUNY) System Administration. He has held teaching appointments in classics and philosophy at a number of institutions, including The Ohio State University, Cornell University, and The University of North Dakota. Dr. DeFilippo has published scholarship on a variety of topics in Greek and Roman philosophy. Dr. DeFilippo has earned a bachelor’s degree in classics from Cornell University, and master’s and PhD degrees in classics from Princeton University.

Strategic Planning and Policy Director

Alan Edwards joined the agency in 2002 as an associate in the Academic Affairs section and became SCHEV’s first director of Policy Studies in 2006. His role expanded to director of Strategic Planning and Policy Studies in 2021. He and his staff assist the Council is its responsibilities for developing and monitoring progress on the statewide strategic plan for higher education, as well as administering various grant programs, including the Innovation Internship Fund and Program (V-TOP), the Fund for Excellence and Innovation (FFEI), and the Higher Education Mental Health Workforce Pilot program.

Dr. Edwards holds a doctorate degree in Educational Policy, Planning, and Leadership from the College of William and Mary, as well as a Master of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is the 2001 recipient of the William and Mary School of Education’s Margaret the Lady Thatcher Medallion for character, scholarship, and service. Dr. Edwards received the Distinguished Scholar Award from the Seabee Memorial Scholarship Association in 2004.

Policy Analytics Director

Tod Massa started at SCHEV in 2001 with nearly a decade of experience in policy research and analysis, and data management. As Policy Analytics Director, Mr. Massa oversees the development and of the Commonwealth’s postsecondary education data system; the biennial projections of enrollment and demand; and is one of the architects and leaders of the Virginia Longitudinal Data System. His wide-ranging duties also include directing the collection, maintenance, and analysis of research data from all Virginia colleges and universities related to enrollment, graduation, faculty salaries, and financial aid. He directs the agency's information systems activities and coordinates the agency’s relationship with the Virginia Information Technology Agency.

Mr. Massa frequently serves on federal technical review panels for the US Department of Education. Prior to joining the Council staff, Mr. Massa held institutional research leadership positions at two institutions of higher education. From 1991 to 1994, he served as the Institutional Research Coordinator and Academic Policy Analyst at Saint Louis University. Most recently, Mr. Massa served as the Director of Institutional Research and Planning Support at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. Prior to joining the staff at Willamette, Mr. Massa served in the U.S. Army and was twice awarded the Department of the Army Certificate of Achievement and the Army Achievement Medal for outstanding service.

Mr. Massa has completed doctoral work in Public Policy Analysis and Planning at Saint Louis University. He earned a Master of Public Administration degree from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in studio art from Missouri Southern State College. Mr. Massa has also received the Association for Institutional Research’s “Outstanding Service Award” for service to the association in 2000.

Director of Board and Executive Operations/FOIA Officer

Laura Osberger currently serves as the Director of Board and Executive Operations and FOIA Officer at the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV). She is responsible for functions related to Council meetings and members, office operations, and internal and external communications. Laura previously was SCHEV’s Senior Associate for Outreach and Communications.

Prior to SCHEV, Laura worked in communications at the Virginia Community College System, Philip Morris USA and Carter Ryley Thomas Public Relations (now Padilla). Laura also owned her own communications firm for nearly nine years. Her specialties include strategic planning, media relations, writing, editing, community engagement and event planning. Laura earned a B.A. in English from Wake Forest University.

Associate Director of Student Success Opportunities and Engagement

Paula Robinson has been administering grants to drive societal change since 1997. Her current role as the Assoc. Director of Student Success Opportunities and Engagement at SCHEV provides her with the opportunity to couple her professional grants management experience with her personal belief that education can be a “great equalizer” as she works to shape policy and develop programs and initiatives that increase equity within higher education and post-secondary access and success for all Virginians.

Paula is a graduate of James Madison University (B.S.) and received her master’s in Public Administration from George Mason University.