Embracing the Ampersand

Connie Warren Desaulniers ’75, P ’92, doesn’t just believe in the power of reinvention — she lives it. A former fine arts major with a head for business, a marketer turned entrepreneur turned full-time artist, she’s spent a lifetime weaving together creativity and commerce to shape a life as colorful as one of her signature silk scarves.

Today, she channels that lifelong blend of artistry and entrepreneurship into a vibrant career as a painter, designer and creative force rooted in the Williamsburg community.

Desaulniers’ heart has always been in Williamsburg, although the final stop on her path before arriving at William & Mary was West Lafayette, Indiana. Her connection to Williamsburg was shaped by childhood school trips and her mother’s enduring affection for the area. That bond grew even stronger when her father, William H. Warren P ’75, G ’92, was hired as a business professor at William & Mary during her senior year of high school. It was his guidance that ultimately led Desaulniers to pursue a liberal arts education at W&M.

“He convinced me it would open more doors,” she recalls. And it did.

As a student at W&M, she dove into fine arts and business courses — an unusual combination at the time, but one that would define her career. She ran the Kappa Kappa Gamma eating club and worked at The Toymaker of Williamsburg in Merchants Square throughout college. Then, as Busch Gardens prepared to open during her senior year, a roommate tipped her off about a marketing job at the park. Desaulniers got the job and spent the next 14 years helping shape the identity of what would become one of the region’s most iconic theme parks.

“It was very experimental at the beginning,” she says. “The oldest person there was 32, and we thought he was ancient.”

From Busch Gardens, she launched her own marketing firm, By Design Marketing and Promotions, focused on travel, food and the arts, which she ran for another 14 years.

“Eventually, though, I burned out managing people and couldn’t use my creative juices,” she says. “I needed something that was mine.”

In 2005, she leaped — this time into full-time art. Her work is bold, whimsical and expressive. Trained to “paint what you see,” she now prefers to paint what she feels. “That’s when art became fun again,” she says.

Her commissioned portraits at William & Mary include President Emeritus Tim Sullivan ’66, Ball Professor of Law Emeritus John Donaldson J.D. ’63 and Edward Travis B.C.L. ’54, the first Black graduate of W&M Law School.

“I love painting people doing what they love,” she says. “Not just them sitting in a boardroom.”

Williamsburg’s culinary scene has also benefited from Desaulniers’ creativity. She was the general manager of Mad About Chocolate, a beloved cafe and art gallery where desserts were decadent, the walls were colorful and laughter was the day’s special.

She handled the marketing for the café while her husband, Marcel Desaulniers HON ’01, P ’92 — the legendary chef and “guru of ganache” behind the Death by Chocolate dessert and cookbook — developed the recipes. Marcel, who passed away last spring, was a towering presence in the culinary world, with a career that spanned Manhattan kitchens and Williamsburg charm. The Trellis, a landmark restaurant which he co-owned and operated for nearly three decades, was acclaimed for its inventive menu.

His passing marked a difficult chapter but also a turning point for Connie. “I’m getting back into art after some time,” she says. “It’s time for the therapy and joy that painting brings.” Her recent shows, including a collaborative exhibition with Kathy Yankovich Hornsby ’79 at the Stryker Center, have drawn attention for their vibrancy. Desaulniers’ new art, scarves, prints and clothing will soon be available through her website, Moonshadow Art & Design.

Desaulniers remains deeply connected to William & Mary. Over the years, she has embraced numerous volunteer roles, including serving on the Class of 1975 50th Reunion Committee. Her commitment also extends to philanthropic support such as a generous gift to the Class of 1975 School of Computing, Data Sciences & Physics Speaker Series Endowment — a meaningful investment in the future of her alma mater.

“Who knows where I would be if I hadn’t gone to William & Mary?” she says.

For Connie Desaulniers, life, like art — is all about embracing the unexpected turns, blending beauty with strategy and never being afraid to paint over what’s not working. After all, “There’s no such thing as a failed painting. Just another layer to paint on.”