Youngkin’s MAGA takeover of Virginia public colleges, universities now complete

One of the spoils for a Virginia governor is being able to make appointments to the boards of visitors of the state’s public colleges and universities.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s second and final round of appointments, announced on Friday, represent his last effort at replacing appointees from his Democratic predecessors, Terry McAuliffe and Ralph Northam.

With these appointments, the bodies leading policy direction at the state’s colleges and universities all have conservative Republican supermajorities.

Consider this today’s reminder of why elections matter.

BOARD OF VISITORS OF CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT UNIVERSITY

• Kevin J. Callanan MA, CFRE, of Stephens City, Principal, CES, LLC
• Jennifer Dunn of Yorktown, Vice President of Communications, Newport News Shipbuilding
• Keith Windle of Midlothian, Senior Vice President of Administrative Services, Dominion Energy

BOARD OF VISITORS OF COLLEGE OF WILLIAM & MARY

• The Honorable John Brownlee of Great Falls, Partner, Holland & Knight LLP
• Robey W. Estes of Richmond, CEO, Estes Express Lines
• Taylor Franklin of Virginia Beach, CEO, Franklin Group
• Jennifer Tepper Mackesy of Bronxville, New York, Minority Owner, Gotham Football Club/Chelsea FC; former Vice President, Lord &Taylor
• The Honorable Jill Holtzman Vogel of Upperville, Attorney and Managing Partner Holtzman Vogel Baran Torchinksy & Josefiak; Principal, 50 to 1; Principal, The Vogel Group; former member, Virginia State Senate, 27th District

BOARD OF VISITORS OF GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY

• The Honorable Kenneth L. Marcus of Great Falls, Founder and Chairman, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law; former US Assistant Secretary of Education for Civil Rights
• Jon M. Peterson of Fairfax Station, Chief Executive Officer, Peterson Companies
• Nina S. Rees of McLean, Senior Fellow, George W. Bush Institute
• Marc Short of Arlington, Partner, Advance Strategies; former Chief of Staff to Vice President Mike Pence

BOARD OF VISITORS OF JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY

• Larry W. Caudle, Jr. of White Stone, Attorney, Kraftson Caudle PLC
• Joanie Eiland of Staunton, President, Elk Trucking and Elk Brokerage
• Thomas Galati of Penn Laird, Founder, StageBio
• Dave Rexrode of Fredericksburg, President, Bluestone Strategies & Consulting Group
• Nikki Thacker of Richmond, Government Relations, Reed Smith LLP

BOARD OF VISITORS OF LONGWOOD UNIVERSITY

• Kathleen Early of Richmond, Corporate Secretary, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation and Affiliated Companies
• Charles E. “Chuck” Fagan III of Manakin Sabot, President and CEO, Velera
• David Rose of Richmond, Senior Vice President and Manager, Davenport and Company, LLC

BOARD OF VISITORS OF NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY

• Edward Sanders of Washington, DC, Director, Gloucester Institute; Relationship Manager, United Negro College Fund
• The Honorable Lionel Spruill, Sr. of Chesapeake, former member, Virginia State Senate, 5th District; former member, Virginia House of Delegates, 77th District

BOARD OF VISITORS OF OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY

• Brian E. Campbell of Richmond, Senior Advisor External Affairs, Medicines for All Institute at VCU
• Stanley Goldfarb of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, Emeritus Professor of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
• Bruce Thompson of Virginia Beach, CEO, Gold Key | PHR
• Claire Wulf Winiarek of Arlington, Health Care Policy Director, Amazon

BOARD OF VISITORS OF RADFORD UNIVERSITY 

• Dale S. Ardizzone, Esq., of Charlotte, North Carolina, COO, INSP, LLC, and Imagicomm Communications
• The Honorable Betsy D. Beamer of Henrico, Director of Planning and Organization, McGuireWoods Consulting 
• Callie Dalton of Roanoke, Realtor, Callie Dalton & Associates, Long & Foster
• William C. Davis of Blacksburg, retired Historian, Virgina Polytechnic Institute
• Jonathan Sweet of Pulaski County, County Administrator, Pulaski County

BOARD OF VISITORS OF UNIVERSITY OF MARY WASHINGTON

• Virginia Gentles of Arlington, Director, Education Freedom Center, Independent Women’s Forum
• Tim Pohanka of Fredericksburg, Chief Operating Officer, Pohanka Automotive Group
• Terris E. Todd of Woodbridge, Senior Advisor to the President, Kingdom Builders Worldwide

BOARD OF VISITORS OF UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA AND AFFILIATED SCHOOLS

• Daniel M. Brody of Albemarle County, President, Health Data Services, Inc.
• Marvin W. Gilliam, Jr., of Bristol, Owner, MAM Development LLC
• David Okonkwo, MD, PhD of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Professor of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh
• David F. Webb of Virginia Beach, Vice Chairman, CBRE, Inc 
• Porter Wilkinson of Bethesda, Maryland, Counselor and Chief of Staff, Smithsonian Institute Board of Regents

BOARD OF VISITORS OF VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY

• The Honorable Siobhan Dunnavant, MD, FACOG, of Henrico, former member, Virginia State Senate, 12th District
• Ken Lipstock, MD, of Richmond, Owner and Medical Director, Lipstock LASIK and Cataract Center
• Randolph N. Reynolds, Jr., of Louisa County, Principal, Reynolds Holdings, LLC
• J. Sailor of Chesterfield, Director of Faith Partnerships, Stand Together Foundation

BOARD OF VISITORS OF VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE

• Kate Comerford Todd of McLean, Attorney, Torridon Law PLLC
• Quintin Elliott of Urbanna, Owner and CEO, QE2 Consulting
• Clifford Foster of Richmond, Manager, Raymond James & Associates
• The Honorable William R. Janis of St. Petersburg, Florida, former member, Virginia House of Delegates, 56th District

BOARD OF VISITORS OF VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE AND STATE UNIVERSITY 

• Starlette Barker Johnson of Dallas, Texas, Board Chair, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory; Board Member, Jack’s Family Restaurant Group
• The Honorable Ryan D. McCarthy of McLean, the 24th Secretary of the Army
• Jim Miller of Waterford, CEO, Quantum Leap
• Pearson of Fort Myers Beach, Florida, Executive Chairman, Vehicle Accessory Inc.
• Jeanne H. Stosser of Blacksburg, President, President and CEO, CMG Leasing/ SAS Construction

BOARD OF VISITORS OF VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY

• Robert E. Denton, Jr., of Blacksburg, W. Thomas Rice Chair Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Communication, Virginia Polytechnic Institute
• Peter McPherson of Arlington, President Emeritus, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities; President Emeritus, Michigan State University
• Verndell Robinson of Prince William County, Associate Broker, Coldwell Banker
• Robert Thompson of Chesterfield, Multi-Unit Franchisee Eggs Up Grill
• General Dennis Via, Ret., of McLean, Executive Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton

EASTERN VIRGINIA HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER AT OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY

• Robert “Bob” Aston, Jr., of Portsmouth, Chairman of the Executive Board, TowneBank
• Ted Chambers of McLean, Medical Director, Montgomery Vascular Care

STATE BOARD FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES

• David L. Elmore of Waynesboro, President, Financial Management Inc.
• Tony Miller of Damascus, retired Project Controls Manager, Appalachian Power
• Alethea “AJ” Robinson of Bluefield, Director of Communications, Tazewell County
• Jeremy Satterfield of Halifax, TechSpark Manager, Microsoft

STATE COUNCIL OF HIGHER EDUCATION FOR VIRGINIA 

• Jeffrey Brown of Richmond, Headmaster, The Hunter School
• Lindsay Fryer of Falls Church, President and Founding Principal, Lodestone DC
• Delceno Miles of Virginia Beach, founding President and CEO, The Miles Agency
• John Olsen of Alexandria, Chief Executive Officer, Teaching Strategies
• Carlyle Ramsey, PhD, of Alton, former President, Danville Community College
• Steven Taylor of Barboursville, Director and Senior Fellow of Postsecondary Education, Stand Together Trust