BOARD WELCOMES NEW CHAIR LUCY (WILLIAMS) HOOPER

The June meeting of the Randolph-Macon Academy Board of Trustees saw the handoff of leadership from one chair to another.

Outgoing chair Mr. Harry G. Austin, III ‘75 has served more than 27 years on the Board of Trustees, first from 1982-1993, and then again from 2008-2024. His tenure includes the Academy’s return to in-person operations following the COVID-19 pandemic, an accreditation visit from the Virginia Association of Independent Schools (which the Academy passed with flying colors), and the development of the next iteration of R-MA’s strategic plan, Vision 2029 (see pages 16-17 for more information).

Moving into the role of Chair is Mrs. Lucy (Williams) Hooper. Even most alumni cannot claim as long a connection with R-MA as Hooper’s - her parents were Colonel Arvin S. Williams, USAF, Retired (he served in various teaching and coaching positions from 1948-1968, and as President of the Academy from 1969-1978) and Mrs. Emma Williams (R-MA’s registrar when they married in 1950, as well as secretary to then-R-MA President, Col. John C. Boggs). It is not an exaggeration to say that Hooper grew up on campus!

An economics major and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of RandolphMacon Woman’s College (now Randolph College), she went on to the world of finance, beginning her career at First & Merchants National Bank (now Bank of America) in Richmond in 1973 and moving to Davenport & Company in 1981 as an institutional bond salesman (the firm’s first female broker). She remains at Davenport & Company today as Executive Vice President and Director of Fixed Income, a role she has held since 2000. She is also a former board member and chair of the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB). Hooper served on the Randolph College Board of Trustees from 2000-2012, including five years as Chair, as well as the Randolph College Alumni Association in multiple leadership roles. She has also served as a director of the Virginia United Methodist Foundation and as a trustee for the Children’s Museum of Richmond. She has served on the R-MA Board of Trustees since 2013.

The Randolph-Macon Academy Board of Trustees is a collaborative body that aims to foster positive, supportive relationships for the betterment of the school’s mission and financial health. R-MA is proud of the collective experience, enthusiasm, and diligence of each trustee (see pages 10-11 to learn about the newest members of the Board). For more information about the Board of Trustees, visit www. RMA.edu/about/board.