Cathy Kropff named director of Hokie Wellness

6 Aug 2014

Cathy Kropff has been named director of Hokie Wellness in the Department of Human Resources at Virginia Tech.

Kropff has been serving as the interim director since July 2013.

In her role, Kropff is responsible for the management of work life resources, as well as the development and implementation of programming that enhances the health and productivity of Virginia Tech employees.

Hokie Wellness programming is strategically based on health risks and trends that university employees face. Recently, Kropff and her team delivered a series of programming about elder care, which has been identified as an issue many Virginia Tech employees manage in their personal lives.

The team also delivers smoking cessation programming, the annual Hokie Wellness Health and Benefits fair, and hosts more than a dozen flu vaccination clinics each fall.

"Virginia Tech has a strong reputation as a great place to work, partially because of our commitment to providing a healthy atmosphere for our employees and their families," said Kropff. "We work to keep Virginia Tech employees active and productive so they can maintain balance in their personal and professional lives."

Kropff also serves as the co-director of the Task Force for a Healthier Virginia Tech and is a member of the university’s Emergency Response and Disaster Mental Health Field Operations team.

Before beginning her career in the Department of Human Resources, Kropff was marketing manager for Recreational Sports from 2004 to 2013. She received the 2008-09 Division of Student Affairs Partnership Award for the implementation of the inaugural 3.2-Mile Run in Remembrance.

Prior to coming to Virginia Tech, Kropff served as the director of guest services for Walt Disney World's Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida, from 1997 to 2000 and received the prestigious Partners in Excellence Award in 1998. Kropff was also a member of the National Intramural and Recreational Sports Association for eight years, and served as the chairperson for the National Marketing Institute from 2010-12.

Kropff has a bachelor’s degree in physical education from the State University of New York College at Cortland. She also holds a master's degree in public health administration from Virginia Tech. In previous years, she also served as an adjunct professor at Virginia Tech in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.