Evan Pivonka ’04
Evan Pivonka is the Assistant Director for Policy, Accountability, and Critical Events at the University of Virginia, where he also teaches in the Politics Department in the Program on Constitutionalism and Democracy.
He arrived at Santa Clara as a LEAD Scholar and Finance major, determined to forge a path in Investment Banking. But, luckily for him, a year of Latin with Professor Heath (along with some excellent advice from his mentor in the business school, Steven Wade) convinced him that Classics was a far more rewarding choice. Junior year was spent abroad at Oxford (thanks Honors Program!), where his tweed game was upped significantly, studying more Latin, Greek, and Ancient History. Upon returning, and under Professor Heath's indispensable mentorship, it became clear that the life of an academic was the only way forward.
After finishing at SCU, Evan earned an MA in Classics at Stanford ('06) and a PhD in Political Theory at UVA ('12). Upon finishing his PhD, he simply never left UVA, and continues to enjoy the puzzled looks on the faces of faculty and administration when they notice that he's still around. He is the faculty advisor to the student-run Honor Committee, and teaches courses in American Political Economy, American Political Tradition, Modern Political Theory, and the Theories of Capitalism, where he never hesitates to write some unnecessary Latin or Greek on the chalkboard in order to impress his unwitting students.
He lives in Charlottesville with his wonderful wife Ashleigh, who is an attorney in town, and their four kids: Henry, Marvin, Violet, and Sylvie. In his spare time, he loves to play golf, pickleball, and mow his lawn.
