Youngkin removes controversial UVA Board member and replaces him with Ken Cuccinelli
Youngkin appointed Ken Cuccinelli to UVA's Board of Visitors.
This is the Virginia Scope daily newsletter covering Virginia politics from top to bottom. Please consider becoming the ultimate political insider by supporting non-partisan, independent news and becoming a paid subscriber to this newsletter today.
Have a tip? You can reply to this email or reach out to me directly at Brandon@virginiascope.com.
Youngkin removes controversial UVA Board member and replaces him with Ken Cuccinelli
After announcing that he fired Bert Ellis from the UVA Board of Visitors, Gov. Glenn Youngkin stated his intention to appoint former Virginia Attorney General and failed gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli as his replacement. In a letter to Ellis, Youngkin cited his behavior during his time on the Board as the reason for his removal.
“Your conduct on many occasions has violated the Commonwealth's Code of Conduct for our Boards and Commissions and the Board of Visitors' Statement of Visitor Responsibilities,” Youngkin wrote.
“I never understood why the governor thought someone who promoted a eugenics debate event as a student for UVA Black History Week was a proper nominee for our flagship institution,” Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, said in a statement about Ellis Thursday.
Ellis has championed removing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) practices from UVA during his time on the Board.
Cuccinelli, who served as Virginia’s attorney general from 2010 to 2014 and lost the gubernatorial election to Terry McAuliffe in 2013, has a controversial history in the commonwealth.