Chad Mezera
Assistant Provost for WVU Online
Leadership: Strategic Leadership and Central Operations
Chad's Role at WVU Online
- Serves as WVU's chief online learning officer and primary contact for program development, partnerships, and innovation.
- Oversees vision, quality, and growth strategy for WVU’s online portfolio.
- Collaborates with academic and administrative units to align initiatives, streamline processes, and advance student success.
About Chad
A proud two-time graduate of West Virginia University, Chad earned a bachelor’s degree
in advertising and a master’s in journalism. With nearly 20 years of expertise
in online program growth, he played a pivotal role in launching and expanding the
nation’s first fully online Master’s in Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC)
at WVU. Under his leadership, the program became a gold standard for online graduate
education.
Chad’s contributions to WVU began in 2005 as Marketing Director for the IMC program
in the Reed College of Media. His leadership quickly earned him a promotion to
Program Director, where he redefined strategic planning and operations. Between
2011 and 2017, he helped grow enrollment by 777%, transforming the IMC program
into WVU’s largest master’s degree offering. Under his leadership, the IMC program
earned recognition from the Online Learning Consortium (OLC) as the Online Program
of the Year in 2015. His success in scaling programs and fostering innovation earned
him the role of Assistant Dean of Online Programs for the College of Creative Arts
and Media before assuming his current position.
Before joining WVU, Chad excelled in corporate communications, leading internal communications
for a top-tier government IT solutions provider. He also directed marketing campaigns
for a think tank focused on enhancing government efficiency at the federal, state,
and local levels.