David Farris, PhD

Dr. David Farris is currently the Assistant Vice President for Risk, Safety, & Resilience. David joined George Mason University as Chemical Hygiene Officer in August 2004. In this role, he was instrumental in developing George Mason’s laboratory safety program and created emergency response plans in accordance with federal and state environmental regulations. David’s role evolved and he became responsible for managing and developing safety programs in a broader sense for the university specifically in the areas of occupational safety and environmental compliance. In 2008, David became Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response. Fire Safety and Occupational Safety programs were added to his portfolio in 2010 and 2014, respectively. In 2024 David became the Assistant Vice President for Risk, Safety, & Resilience and began working with Employee Health & Well-Being while continuing to support Environmental Health & Safety, and Emergency Management & Fire Safety functional units.

Prior to working at George Mason, David was at Clean Harbors Environmental Services. During David’s tenure at Clean Harbors he served as a lead field chemist, regional manager, technical service specialist, sales representative, and project manager in the areas of business development, environmental compliance, emergency response, environmental remediation, and industrial services.

David graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in biology, received a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Mason’s School of Management in May 2007, and received a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from George Mason University’s College of Education and Human Development in 2016.