Board Notes

February 2026 Meeting

The Feb. 5-6, 2026, meeting of the W&M Alumni Association Board of Directors was held at the Alumni House on William & Mary’s campus in Williamsburg.

The board took action on the following awards and recognition:

• Approved according Associate Alumni membership status to 42 retiring faculty and staff members.
• Approved awarding five early-career faculty members recommended by Provost Peggy Agouris for Alumni Faculty Fellowship Awards.
• Approved the nomination of Judith “Judi” Starkey to receive Honorary Alumni status.
• Approved recommended changes to awards policies as presented by the Awards & Recognition Committee. Changes included the launch of a new, streamlined Awards Nomination Form and renaming the Douglas N. Morton ’62 Young Alumni Service Award to be the Douglas N. Morton ’62 Recent Alumni Service Award, to better reflect its purpose of recognizing alumni who are within 10 years of graduation.

At the recommendation of the Finance & Investment committee and with the approval of the Order of the White Jacket board, funds for this affinity group were moved to be under the management of the W&M Alumni Association. The board also approved the recent audited financials and new 990.

Bonnie Devlin, principal at Washburn McGoldrick, presented findings from the fall 2025 Alumni Survey.

W&M Alumni Association CEO Matthew “Matt” L. Brandon ’92 provided his key takeaways from the survey. He saw a common throughline that all segments of W&M’s growing alumni population value relationships, and building those relationships is the Alumni Association’s strength.

“Our alumni community is increasingly global, with engagement interests that emerge through meaningful personal interactions rather than mass communications. They expect convenient, accessible connection points, often in places our traditional travel schedule won't reach, “ he said in his CEO report. “With our alumni population heavily weighted toward the larger classes of the past 50 years, we face a dual mandate: continuing to serve alumni who become more active as they age while adapting to digital-native recent graduates who prefer short-term, community-based commitments.”

Virginia Early Hall, senior director of business development, provided an update on the construction of the W&M Memorial Garden. The expanded garden includes a columbarium, new entryway, additional seating and more. It was dedicated on April 25, 2026, during Traditions Weekend, as was Garrett Way, the road leading to the garden. Garrett Way is named in honor of the late Capt. Jack Garrett ’40, P ’67, P ’70, G ’93, G ’95, G ’95 for his leadership in creating the garden.

Kelly Holdcraft, executive director of alumni success, provided an update on planning for W&M Weekend in D.C., May 28-31.

On Saturday, Feb. 7, the W&M Alumni Association hosted its Annual Membership Meeting, which included an overview of events and initiatives from the past year. They also hosted the Alumni Medallion & Service Awards Ceremony to honor the 2026 recipients of the Alumni Medallion, Douglas N. Morton ’62 Alumni Service Award, Alumni Civic & Humanitarian Leadership Award, Faculty & Staff Service Awards and Coach of the Year.

May 2026 Meeting

The May 28, 2026, meeting of the W&M Alumni Association Board of Directors was held at the InterContinential Washington D.C. - The Wharf as part of W&M Weekend. This signature event, now in its 10^th year, brings alumni and friends to a host city to spotlight members of the W&M community from a variety of fields who are raising W&M’s national preeminence.

W&M Alumni Association CEO Matthew “Matt” L. Brandon ’92 shared his vision for the coming year. The Alumni Association will conduct a national search for a strategic and entrepreneurial leader to head the Alumni Outreach & Engagement team. The Alumni Success and Inclusive Excellence teams will join to create a unified structure designed to improve collaboration, knowledge sharing, resource management, and the overall alumni experience. This decision reflects both alumni feedback and organizational research and will create clearer pathways toward deeper alumni participation.

A new Strategic Partnerships team will prioritize building key working relationships with faculty and staff, improving volunteer leadership and opportunities, and advancing digital strategies. The Alumni Association will also expand its lifelong learning offerings with a focus on global reach.

At the recommendation of the Recognition & Outreach Committee, the board approved the nominations of Janet Mallison Brashear ’82, James “Jim” A. Hixon J.D. ’79, M.L.T. ’80, P ’08 and William “Will” H. Payne II ’01 to receive the Alumni Medallion, which recognizes dedication to and support for W&M, exemplary accomplishments in their professional lives and leadership in civic engagement.

The board also approved nominations for Michael “Mike” J. Carron M.A. '76, Ph.D. '80, P '04 and Susan Shiver Carron ’72, P ’04 (receiving jointly) and Alison Dwier-Selden ’86 to receive the Douglas N. Morton ’62 Alumni Service Award, and Katie Clark ’24 and Alston Harwood ’24 to receive the Douglas N. Morton ’62 Recent Alumni Service Award (for alumni within 10 years of graduation). These awards recognize alumni who are constantly working to engage and support alumni, connecting them to each other and the university.

The board voted to approve Nate Kellogg, swimming head coach, to be Coach of the Year.

These awards will be bestowed at the Alumni Medallion & Service Awards Ceremony during Charter Day Weekend 2027 on Feb. 6.

The board tasked the Recognition & Awards Committee with exploring ways to honor trailblazing alumni who represent “firsts” in our alumni community.

On the recommendation of the Board Development Committee, the board approved the slate of incoming and returning members for the board ballot, which will be distributed to all alumni in the fall and close Feb. 6.

On the recommendation of the Finance & Investment Committee, the board passed the fiscal year 2027 budget and updated annual spend policy.

The board also met jointly with the W&M Foundation and Annual Giving boards to hear an update from President Katherine A. Rowe and Matthew T. Lambert ’99, senior vice president for university advancement, on strategic planning.

The next meeting of the W&M Alumni Association Board of Directors will be held Sept. 10-11, 2026, at the Alumni House in Williamsburg.