Adriana Vito is the assistant dean for graduate studies. She has more than 17 years of experience in higher education, including a decade focused on advising Master of Laws (LL.M.) students in the Washington, D.C., area. Before joining the Law School, she served as the director for graduate studies and certificate programs at George Mason University, Antonin Scalia Law School, where she was responsible for marketing and recruitment, international partnership development and management, employer outreach, and academic, career, and personal advising for international and domestic LL.M. students. In that capacity she developed strategic partnerships and cooperation agreements with U.S. and foreign government entities, including the U.S. Marine Corps, and the government of Japan. She liaised with multilateral entities, including the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank to expand career opportunities for LL.M. students and graduates.
She also served as a career adviser for LL.M. and S.J.D. students at the American University Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C., for seven years, where she taught courses in international trade law and policy. She led career development workshops and career panel discussions for international attorneys, helping them navigate U.S. business culture and the legal profession, and served as a career coach for attorneys seeking lateral career moves in the United States and abroad.
Vito previously served as an associate dean of students at the Office of the Dean of Students at UVA from 2012 to 2015, where she worked on crisis management, emergency response and student affairs. She was responsible for programming for international students on Grounds to facilitate their transition into the UVA community. Vito was an active member of the Global on Grounds Committee, where she helped with internationalization initiatives at UVA.
Prior to her career in higher education, Vito worked for the international trade law practice groups of two law firms in Washington, D.C. She also worked for the Delegation of the European Commission in Washington and the Embassy of Brazil. In that period Vito co-authored a study that continues to serve as a reference for other countries exporting goods to the United States. She is a founding member of ABCI Institute, an international trade law and policy think tank in Washington, D.C.
Before moving to the United States, Vito worked for the Brazilian Federal Prosecution, where she assisted in federal criminal cases involving Brazilian citizens and foreign nationals. While still in Brazil, she also worked for the U.S. Department of Commerce mission in São Paulo, where she helped U.S. companies investing in Brazil.
Vito has served as a speaker in several annual student affairs and career development conferences, including the National Association for Law Placement, the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators and the annual Master of Jurisprudence Consortium Conference. She has also served as a career counselor at the annual Lavender Law Conference & Career Fair, helping LGBTQ+ attorneys of all ages and career levels navigate career opportunities in the United States and abroad.
Vito has been admitted to practice law in Brazil (OAB São Paulo) since 1998. She is a native Portuguese speaker, and is fluent in English and Spanish. She has studied French, German and Polish at a basic level. She enjoys working with international students of all ages and paths of life, and learning about their countries and cultures.