Board Notes

The winter meeting of the William & Mary Alumni Association Board of Directors was held at the William & Mary Alumni House from Feb. 5-7.

Board members voted to approve Kathleen Clem and Linda A. Knight as recipients of the Honorary Alumni Award. Clem and Knight were recognized at the Honorary Alumni Induction Ceremony on May 16 during Commencement Weekend.

The board then received a report from the Finance & Investment Committee, including a presentation from Virginia Hall, senior director of alumni experiences & business development. Virginia updated the board on the progress of the $2.5 million Memorial Garden expansion project. The Memorial Garden is located in the Matoaka Woods near the Martha Wren Briggs Amphitheatre at Lake Matoaka and provides a final resting place for members of the William & Mary family. A plaque on the surrounding brick wall commemorates each person whose ashes are placed in the garden. This expansion will add a columbarium (a wall in which urns with ashes and corresponding plaques can be placed), a new entry gate and pathway, benches and landscaping. In total, over 400 additional members of the W&M community will be able to choose the Memorial Garden as their final resting place. Recent updates on this project include:

• The W&M Board of Visitors and the University Architect’s Design Review Board approved this expansion as part of the university’s capital projects plan for 2025-2026.
• Fundraising has been approved for this project and the William & Mary Memorial Garden Project Fund (5942) has been established to receive contributions.
• Naming opportunities are available for benches and the garden’s entrance.
• Construction is planned to begin this spring.
• The project is slated for completion in spring 2026.
• Pre-reservations for spots will be open until the project’s completion.

The board then received the audit report for fiscal year 2024 and voted to approve the report.

Matthew “Matt” L. Brandon ’92, chief executive officer, spoke to the board about their role as ambassadors for the Alumni Association. Building on the discussion from the previous board meeting, Matt outlined ways the board can add reporting metrics to their interactions with alumni to clearly outline advancements in engagement level. He emphasized the unique ability of board members to reach out and engage alumni in the life of the university. He also recommended that the Alumni Association explore further ways to partner with other W&M schools and units to engage alumni. His team is creating a dashboard that will allow board members to quickly and clearly see the Alumni Association’s progress toward fully engaging alumni.

Matt also led a discussion about the “CEO Dinner” that took place at the Alumni House the evening of Wednesday Feb. 5. CEO Dinners are an opportunity for students on campus to gain familiarity with the Alumni Association and its leadership. Board members who attended the dinner came away with a very positive impression of the event and highlighted the importance of personal connection between alumni and students. Regarding personal connection, board members discussed the success of the Alumni Association Board of Directors tabling event during Homecoming & Reunion Weekend and plan to repeat that activity this fall.  

The board then received an Alumni Association financial development progress report from Robert Waggoner, executive director of regional advancement, who discussed trends in market performance and donor engagement. This was followed by a presentation from Abby Grimes M.B.A ’23, director of reunion & affinity annual giving, who briefed the board on a new web platform that the board can use to communicate with alumni and track engagement. Abby also discussed upcoming plans for One Tribe One Day, which was held on Wednesday, April 2.

Val Cushman, executive director of alumni engagement & inclusion initiatives, presented to the board on her team’s progress and plans for 2025, including:

• Mosaic Weekend | June 6-8
  • Held on W&M’s campus, this inaugural weekend brought together the Alumni Association’s identity groups (collectively referred to as Mosaic), along with their family and friends, for connection, celebration and learning. These groups are the Hulon Willis Association (alumni of Black and African descent), the Crim Dell Association (LGBTQ+), the APIM Association (Asian, Pacific Islander & Middle Eastern) and Familia (Latino/a/e).
• Women’s Weekend | Sept. 12-14
  • Marking W&M’s third Women’s Weekend, this milestone event will bring W&M women, families and friends together for a weekend of learning, bonding and fun on campus. Programming will include panel presentations, wellness activities, workshops and more. All members of the W&M community are welcome to attend this weekend. Registration opens soon.

Bruce Oliver ’68 represented the Olde Guarde (alumni who graduated 50 years ago or more) during the board meetings in place of Jim Taylor ’69, who was unable to attend. Bruce updated the board on the Olde Guarde’s recent initiatives, including their participation in the Homecoming Parade, for which they won an award. In December 2024, the Olde Guarde hosted a study hall in the Alumni House for W&M students preparing for exams. This event was very well attended and popular among students. The Olde Guarde plans to hold this event again for the spring semester exams and extend its duration to two days. Bruce also briefed the board on the Olde Guarde Update, a communication sent out several times a year to discuss recent university news and ask Olde Guarde members if they have information or ideas they would like to share.

On Friday, Feb. 7, individual board committees met to discuss progress on current projects and upcoming initiatives, which were then shared with the full board.

The Engagement Strategy Committee encouraged board members to utilize social media to act as Alumni Association ambassadors and connect with members of the W&M community. 

The Finance & Investment Committee has started the search process for a new director.

The Recognition & Outreach Committee made plans to reach out to other W&M schools and units to understand their individual award processes and how the Alumni Association might collaborate to spread the word about Alumni Association awards. The committee also discussed the potential creation of additional awards to highlight alumni/community members on a more regular basis.

The ballot for selecting members for the next slate of the Alumni Association Board of Directors closed on Feb. 8 at 9:30 a.m.

The annual membership meeting was held on Feb. 8 in the James Room at the Sadler Center, immediately prior to the Alumni Medallion & Service Awards Ceremony. Alumni Association staff and board members presented on the past year’s progress and key upcoming events.

The next regular meeting of the Board of Directors was held June 5-6, 2025, at the W&M Alumni House, and the notes will be published in the fall edition of the W&M Alumni Magazine. The upcoming regular meeting will be held Sept. 11-12.