Wellness Resources: September 2025

Fall is here, and with it comes a reminder to slow down, reset, and take care of yourself. This month’s wellness opportunities show how small actions can make a real difference. Maybe it’s a short break to clear your head, a fitness class to get your body moving, or a visit to the Expo to explore helpful resources. However you choose to show up for yourself, these moments all add up to support your well-being.

Micro Health Breaks

• Begin on September 15
• Ten-minute sessions designed to help you step away, stretch, and reset
• A simple way to ease stress and strengthen your body throughout the day
• Check them out on the HR website

Fall Fitness with Hoos Well and UVA Rec

• Free drop-in fitness classes and training are available this fall
• A chance to explore new workouts or simply stay active at no cost
• Visit the Hoos Well site.

Benefits and Well-Being Expo

• Wednesday, October 8 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in Newcomb Hall Ballroom on the third floor
• Meet benefits providers and resource partners
• Presentations offered in person and virtual with the schedule to be released later this month
• Flu vaccines available on site
• Additional Expos at UVA Wise and the UVA Medical Center
• Read more on the HR site

Building on Experience: Mike Priddy Joins UVA Finance in a New Role

The Priddy Family

The Workday Support Team is pleased to welcome Mike Priddy to the team!

Priddy has built his career here at UVA, previously working in the Office of Sponsored Programs, where he supported the University in areas such as research administration and financial compliance. His experience in that role, along with similar exposure during his 11 years in corporate America, sparked an interest in data and analytics and drew him to this new opportunity. Having worked with the team in the past, he is glad to return in a new capacity where he can contribute to the culture and community he knows well.

In his new position, Priddy is eager to be an asset to the team by applying careful analysis and problem-solving to improve UVA’s financial systems and processes. He is looking forward to making an impact that reaches across the University, strengthening the systems that support students, faculty, and sponsored programs on a large scale.

Outside of work, Priddy spends time with his community and family. He coaches two travel basketball teams and serves as an assistant coach for a local high school golf team, finding joy in mentoring young athletes. His commitment to youth extends beyond the court as he has helped run a nonprofit for more than three years that introduces local kids to golf, called Fore The Valley. At home, Priddy and his wife, Erika, are raising three children who each pursue their own passions in music, acting, singing, scouting, and sports. The family also has two dogs: one named Hatch, after the famous Hatch green chili pepper, and the other named Carl.

We are glad to have Priddy on the team and look forward to all he will bring to UVA Finance.

Andrew Sallans Completes Cornerstone Program with Practical Results for the School of Data Science

Sallans was part of the 10th
Cohort of the Cornerstone Program

This fall, Andrew Sallans wrapped up a yearlong journey as part of the University of Virginia’s Cornerstone Program, a leadership development initiative launched in 2014 to prepare emerging leaders for the challenges of tomorrow. Sallans was part of the program’s 10th cohort, which will officially graduate on September 30.

Cornerstone is designed to help participants grow through 360 feedback, one-on-one mentoring, monthly classroom sessions, and, perhaps most importantly, collaborative team projects. These projects bring together participants from across UVA to tackle a real organizational need and present their findings to leadership.

For Sallans, that project was with UVA’s newest school: the School of Data Science (SDS). Alongside his teammates Jennett Murphy (Batten School of Leadership & Public Policy) and Bob Jones (ITS), Andrew set out to explore how SDS could better support its international scholars (a group that includes postdocs, graduate students, and faculty) navigating the unique challenges of studying and working in a new country.

“It’s a highly competitive space,” Sallans explains. “Data science scholars are in demand, and they expect a high level of support. Everything from signing a lease to getting a driver’s license can feel overwhelming in an unfamiliar environment and can become a barrier to attracting top talent.”

The team’s original plan to interview international scholars was complicated by external factors, including changes in federal policy. The team regrouped and pivoted to a landscape survey, mapping out what resources already exist at UVA (like visa services from the International Studies Office or integration support from the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs), identifying gaps (such as housing assistance), and creating a practical resource guide that SDS can immediately put to use.

The result? A deliverable with real staying power. The School of Data Science is incorporating the guide into its operations, and Sallans sees potential for broader impact: “This could easily be something that other schools use. There’s never been a centralized guide like this, and it might even spark a community of practice across UVA to support international students and scholars.”

That kind of ripple effect is exactly what the Cornerstone Program aims for: preparing leaders not only to think strategically, but also to deliver meaningful results that benefit the broader University community.

Please join us in congratulating Andrew on completing the Cornerstone Program and on leaving behind a resource that will make UVA a more welcoming place for international scholars.

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Interested in the Cornerstone Program?  Read more here.