George Mason University's leaders exemplify how people of various backgrounds can come together to build something greater than they could alone.
George Mason's leadership looks beyond the expected as they share responsibility and commitment to the success of students, faculty, and staff in their academic, personal, and professional goals, careers, communities, and whatever other endeavors they may choose to pursue.
Leadership Structure
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President Gregory Washington
University President
George Mason University President Gregory Washington leads Virginia’s largest and most diverse public university into its second half-century.
Since launching his George Mason presidency in July 2020, Washington has created new academic and entrepreneurial pathways, opened or broken ground on academic facilities on all three Virginia campuses across the university’s 848 acres, and presided over the highest research expenditures and philanthropy in Mason history. In 2023, Washington announced “Mason Now: Power the Possible,” a one-billion-dollar comprehensive campaign to support student success, research, innovation, community, and sustainability.
"What drew me to Mason was its mission to insist that excellence and inclusivity are not seen as merely compatible. In fact, each is required for the other to exist."
- President Gregory Washington
Washington, the former engineering dean at Ohio State University (interim) and the University of California, Irvine, has strengthened George Mason’s commitment to access and opportunity by creating the Mason Virginia Promise (MVP), a pathway to a George Mason degree or help starting a business for any Virginian who aspires to either goal. MVP expands George Mason’s national award-winning ADVANCE Program Partnership with Northern Virginia Community College to select community colleges throughout the state. The Mason Virginia Promise Grant helps provide opportunities to students from low-income backgrounds.
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University Leadership
Dr. James Antony
Provost and Executive Vice President
Dr. James Antony serves as the provost and executive vice president of George Mason University.
As provost and executive vice president, Antony oversees George Mason University’s academic mission, including supporting scholarly excellence among faculty and fostering academic success for over 40,000 students on all four campuses. He joined the university in 2024 and works in conjunction with President Gregory Washington to shape and execute the university’s strategic academic priorities.
Prior to his appointment as provost, Antony served at the University of California, San Diego where he was the dean of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs. Alongside his administrative duties, he was a professor of Education Studies with a secondary appointment at the Rady School of Management. Antony has also held notable academic leadership roles at Harvard, Yale, and the University of Washington.
He is a first-generation college student who received his baccalaureate degree in psychology, as well as his master’s degree and PhD in higher education and organizational change from UCLA.
Kenneth Walsh
Executive Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Chief of Staff
Ken Walsh currently serves as executive vice president for strategic initiatives and chief of staff in the President’s Office, a position he accepted in 2020. He served as interim provost at Mason from November 2023 through June 2024.
Before coming to Mason, Walsh served as senior assistant dean and chief of staff in the Samueli School of Engineering at the University of California, Irvine. In this capacity, he was responsible for the entire scope of planning, operations, and resource management for the school. From 2002 to 2018, Walsh served in a number of roles at San Diego State University. There he founded the J.R. Filanc Construction Engineering and Management program and later served as chair of the Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering. He also served as the founding dean for SDSU-Georgia. This innovative program was funded through the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the Government of Georgia to provide US-accredited science and engineering degrees in Tbilisi, Georgia, where he lived and worked for four years.
He started his academic career in the Del E. Webb School of Construction at Arizona State University, after several years in consulting engineering practice in the Phoenix area. Ken holds BSE, MS, and Ph.D. degrees in Civil Engineering from Arizona State University. With over $30 million in research activity, his research interests lie in production systems design in a construction setting, He has published over 100 papers in journals and conferences and served as editor of conferences sponsored by the International Group for Lean Construction and the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Julie Zobel
Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Julie A. Zobel serves as senior vice president and chief operating officer, overseeing Administration and Operations functions, including information technology, facilities, regional campuses, auxiliary services, business analysis, enterprise project management, enterprise risk management, emergency management, and safety programs.
Joining George Mason in 2000, Zobel served in a progression of safety and risk leadership roles, culminating in her tenure as vice president and chief risk officer, before her appointments as interim SVP in August 2024 and permanent SVP and COO in April 2025. Notably, Zobel provided operational stewardship of the university's response to COVID-19, for which George Mason was recognized as a national leader in pandemic management, exemplifying how Mason delivers solutions that are All Together Different.
Zobel earned dual bachelor's degrees in Hazardous Materials/Environmental Management and Civil Engineering from the University of Findlay and the University of Akron, respectively. She earned a master of science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Akron and a doctorate in Biodefense from George Mason University.
Auxiliary and Business Services
Facilities and Campus Operations
Information Technology Services
Operational Finance and Enterprise Governance
Daniel Stephens
Interim Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President
Daniel Stephens serves as interim chief financial officer and senior vice president, overseeing university-wide finance functions, including accounting, budget, procurement, treasury, and fiscal compliance.
Stephens has served as vice president of finance since December 2024, when he came to George Mason University with more than 35 years of senior financial leadership. Most recently, Stephens had served as the CFO of the University of West Georgia Foundations, after seven years as vice president for Finance and Administration at Illinois State University. He had previously held various senior financial leadership roles at several universities, including the University of North Texas System, University of Idaho, and Central Michigan University.
Before devoting his career to higher education, Stephens spent 15 years in senior financial leadership roles at several corporations, focusing on strategic financial planning and multi-year forecasting, beginning as a CPA with Deloitte.