The Campaign for Washington and Lee
“One of Washington and Lee’s most enduring strengths is the spirit encapsulated in our motto: non incautus futuri — not unmindful of the future — which reflects our commitment to self-examination and to asking how our students and alumni can contribute even more to the world.”
WILLIAM C. DUDLEY President of Washington and Lee University
For many alumni, their time at Washington and Lee University remains one of the most consequential periods of their lives. Lexington is the place where they unlocked their sense of inquiry and curiosity, formed lasting relationships with peers and professors, and embraced a community rooted in honor and integrity.
W&L students develop a profound and personal understanding of what it means to lead a life of consequence. Each generation learns to connect their individual beliefs and aspirations to the greater good by drawing on the skills and habits of mind they cultivate here. Leading Lives of Consequence, W&L’s comprehensive campaign, will enable the university to provide an even more extraordinary education that empowers students to shape the future of our world.
From the Colonnade to Lewis Hall, from Leyburn Library to the Liberty Hall Ruins, this has always been a special place. But it’s not just the majestic setting; it’s the people who make this place exceptional. Washington and Lee community members are lifelong learners, responsible leaders, and engaged citizens. It is not surprising that graduates leave determined and prepared to make a positive difference in the world — nor is it a surprise how often they succeed. With students as our first priority, the Leading Lives of Consequence campaign makes critical investments today so that our university will reach even greater heights tomorrow.
Over the course of the university’s history, Washington and Lee has continued to improve because of an abiding commitment to the success of each generation of students. This commitment is embodied in our motto, “not unmindful of the future,” and shared by those who love and support the school.
This moment is no different. Just as W&L shaped an unforgettable learning experience for past generations of students, the priorities supported by this campaign will ensure our ability to provide an exemplary education for tomorrow’s learners. These investments will enable students to hold fast to the qualities that make W&L distinctive: a deep commitment to honor, trust in oneself and one another, a strong sense of place, and an appreciation for a community that cultivates lifelong friendships and lifelong learning.
An investment in Washington and Lee University today is an investment in its future alumni, who will conduct themselves with integrity and civility as they lead lives of consequence and touch the lives of others around the world. Campaign contributions will bolster innovations across the university, build on the university’s strengths, and ensure that W&L continues to attract outstanding students and produce exceptional leaders.
“W&L sold me from the beginning, through on their pitch.”
athan Unger ’24 studied business administration and environmental science at Washington and Lee and was also captain of the football team. “W&L sold me from the beginning, and they followed through on their pitch,” he says.
Nathan combined his focus in real estate with a passion for the environment, an interest encouraged by Dr. Lisa Greer, professor of earth and environmental geoscience. “I always loved the outdoors, but I had never studied the social issues surrounding the environmental sciences until professor Greer’s class,” Nathan says. “I was inspired by her teaching approach and the field work she does, such as monitoring the health of coral reefs in Belize.”
Nathan is grateful to the W&L alumni network, which provided him with a wealth of connections. “As a graduate, I’m excited to pay it forward to the next generation of students,” he says.
Carol Pierce Goglia ’95 shares Nathan’s belief in the importance of giving back. The president and CEO of Catch Up & Read, Carol has dedicated much of her life to maximizing the impact of nonprofits. “I trace my career back to W&L, where I was inspired by my classes and encouraging professors,”
she recalls. “My psychology classes, plus studying the sociology of faith traditions through my religion major, shaped my interests in organizational and consumer behavior.”
Carol worked in brand management for Frito-Lay/PepsiCo for over 10 years, developing award-winning marketing programs during her tenure. When a colleague suggested her marketing skills could be translated to the philanthropy world, she took on a leadership role at Communities Foundation of Texas, where she dramatically increased the funds raised during North Texas Giving Day from $5 million to $50 million.
“Today, it’s a privilege to share my business and nonprofit expertise with an organization that’s making real progress toward solving our nation’s literacy crisis,” she says. “I deeply believe in Catch Up & Read’s model, which leverages and trains classroom teachers to provide datadriven reading instruction in after-school programs. Our vision to improve the lives of children and transform our whole community through the power of literacy is a reflection of the ideals I depended on at W&L.”
“Catch Up & Read’s vision to improve the lives of children and transform our whole community through the power of literacy is a reflection of the ideals I depended on at W&L.”
CAROL
GOGLIA ’95 President & CEO, Catch Up & Read
LEADERSHIP THROUGH SERVICE
Although separated by two generations, Charlie Tomm ’68, ’75L and Cameron Perales ’24L are united in their appreciation for the close-knit community at Washington and Lee. “I knew I wanted a law school with small classes, where I could get to know both my peers and my professors,” explains Cameron. The intimate scale at W&L is about more than developing friendships and collaborations, he says.
“The goal of this campaign is not just to survive, but to thrive.”
CHARLES TOMM ’68, ’75L Chairman & CEO, Pablo River Partners
“I built the skills that are enabling me to work one-on-one to understand my clients’ needs and to have a positive impact on their lives.”
Charlie concurs: “This close-knit community prepares you better than any other college for service to others. The Honor System, the Speaking Tradition, small class sizes, and over 275 years of complex and remarkable history engender feelings of trust and friendship among fellow graduates.” Both Charlie and Cameron became leaders through service well before completing their law degrees. In Charlie’s case, he served as a diver and officer on the Navy’s only troop-carrying submarine between his undergraduate and law school education at W&L. Cameron volunteered for Teach for America as a high school special education teacher before enrolling at W&L Law, where he furthered his passion for mentorship as co-leader of the Kirgis Fellows Program,
which supports first-year law students as they adjust to the rigors of legal education. “If someone doesn’t have a friend or family member who’s been to law school, that first year can be daunting,” he says. “Having a mentor helps put you at ease and confirm that you’re on the right track.”
Charlie points to the impressive career outcomes of his fellow law school graduates as evidence of the exceptional quality of a W&L education. “But changes will always be necessary if we’re going to keep those standards high, generation after generation,” he says. For this reason, Charlie is proudly serving as a member of the campaign council for Leading Lives of Consequence “The goal of this campaign is not just to survive, but to thrive.”
Contributions to W&L through Leading Lives of Consequence support the kinds of experiences that make a law degree from W&L so valuable. “You can have all the knowledge and understanding from your coursework, but only hands-on experience lets you develop the skills to really make a difference,” says Cameron. He appreciates the W&L legal clinics for giving him the confidence and experience to serve as an advocate for his clients. “Simply put, W&L provides a philosophical anchor combined with essential practical knowledge to produce lawyers who are prepared to lead,” says Charlie. “For this reason, I urge everyone to join me in supporting this vital campaign for our future.”
“Having a mentor you can turn to helps put you at ease and confirm that you’re on the right track.”
CAMERON PERALES ’24L
Washington and Lee is a place where talented young people come to expand their understanding and ignite their curiosity. The campaign will strengthen our interdisciplinary curriculum that unites the liberal arts and preprofessional programs, and enables students to engage in rigorous scholarship while preparing for a successful career and consequential life.
W&L students demonstrate inspiring resilience and dedication, and they deserve the support of a large community behind them. Campaign contributions strengthen the foundation that undergirds the W&L experience, providing additional tools and services for students to help them achieve their potential.
Because nearly a third of first-year college students and almost three-quarters of law school students nationwide struggle with mental health, the university will invest heavily in facilities and programs that support our students’ wellness. W&L will also enhance pathways to success after graduation through mentoring and career and professional development programs that help students and young alumni transform the skills gained here into meaningful outcomes beyond Lexington.
W&L’s exceptional faculty drive the student learning experience. Leading Lives of Consequence creates even more opportunities for students to learn from distinguished scholars who are uncommonly committed to teaching and building lifelong relationships with students. Strategic investments in the university’s historic campus and academic facilities will ensure our students and faculty have access to more contemporary research and learning environments. Ultimately, the campaign will help foster a continuing commitment to inquiry and discovery.
O“I came back to W&L to pay it forward. Now I have the best job on campus: making dreams come true.”
MATTHEW LOAR ’07 Director of Fellowships & Student Research
ne fall day during her sophomore year, Annie Thomas ’24 felt the power of music descend upon the auditorium where she was practicing with Washington and Lee’s University Singers choir. “Life on campus could be a little isolating that semester, due to the COVID-19 restrictions,” she recalls. “But in that moment — though I was singing several feet apart from my classmates — I realized how healing it is to sing with other people.”
Annie had played piano and sung in choirs her entire life, but that experience inspired her to formally declare a double major in music and English. Shortly afterward, she joined the university’s Choral Conducting Mentorship Program (CCMP). During her senior year, she took up the baton to direct the University Singers in a rendition of “Grace Before Sleep,” a piece by composer Susan LaBarr.
“It’s hard to describe the euphoric feeling of leading a choir. I was completely immersed in the sound,” she says. “Few people get an
opportunity like that as an undergraduate, and it was the perfect way to end my senior year.”
Annie went on to win the prestigious Beinecke Scholarship, which provides funds for postgraduate study to students of exceptional promise. “I immediately started crying tears of joy,” she says. “It changed everything. There are few funded opportunities in music, and receiving this scholarship allows me to pursue my passion.”
Matthew Loar ’07, director of fellowships and student research, supported and encouraged her throughout the application process. “Fellowships like these are rocket fuel,” says Matthew, who was himself a Beinecke Scholar. “They provide students like Annie with the confidence and resources to accomplish their goals.”
“What’s happening for Annie is similar to what happened for me as an undergraduate — the Beinecke Scholarship empowered me to pursue a Ph.D. in classics,” Matthew continues. “I came back to W&L to pay it forward. Now I have the best job on campus: making dreams come true.”
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“It’s hard to describe the euphoric feeling of leading a choir. I was completely immersed in the sound.”
ANNIE THOMAS ’24
The broad range of backgrounds, opinions, and perspectives across our campus creates a dynamic learning environment where every member of our community has the opportunity to expand their horizons and grow as global citizens. Through the campaign, Washington and Lee will continue to cultivate a welcoming, inclusive community for the benefit and enrichment of all.
W&L enables every student to acknowledge and celebrate what makes them unique their many accomplishments, the challenges they have overcome, the beliefs they hold, and the goals they aspire to achieve. Leading Lives of Consequence will create and expand programs that promote an atmosphere where diverse experiences and viewpoints are welcomed and respected, giving every student the confidence to excel.
Leading Lives of Consequence provides essential support for undergraduate and law scholarships to help attract the strongest and brightest students. But financial aid is only part of the full picture. A W&L education extends beyond the classroom, and life-changing experiences like internships, study abroad, legal clinics, and undergraduate research carry costs that can be prohibitive for many students. The campaign will help guarantee that exceptional students can not only attend the university, but have access to the full W&L experience.
B“Washington and Lee attracts higher caliber individuals every year — students like Jalen — who use their talents to serve the world.”
VICTORIA BROWN ’98 Principal, Elemental Advisors
efore Jalen Todd ’25, a cognitive and behavioral science major with a minor in poverty and human capability studies, committed to W&L, he sought out advice from distinguished alumnus and member of the Board of Trustees, William Toles ’92, ’95L.
“The Office of Diversity and Inclusion provided me with William’s email. I honestly didn’t expect a response since he’s an extremely busy and successful trial attorney, but he called me almost immediately,” Jalen recalls.
“As a Black alumnus, he provided me with great perspective about the trajectory of the school, and how there are many initiatives on campus to make students of color feel included.”
Jalen decided to enroll and discovered a circle of support that helped him find his way and identify his passions. “People like my football coach Bobby Jones ’14 and Dean Tamara Futrell — who is a second mother to me — made this place so welcoming,” he says. “They steered me toward a range of service opportunities, from volunteering at the local YMCA to experiences with the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty (SHECP).”
Last summer, Jalen completed a SHECP policy internship with the National Community Action Foundation (NCAF), where he worked to provide resources for impoverished populations. “It was incredible to work with leaders in Washington, D.C., and tell them my story, while helping people who grew up in similar circumstances to me,” he says.
Victoria Brown ’98, currently a principal at Elemental Advisors, was the first Shepherd Program student. She remembers that when she arrived at W&L, there weren’t nearly as many volunteering opportunities. “I wrote an open letter calling for a more entrenched service program for students,” she says.
“My freshman year adviser, professor Harlan Beckley, championed my letter and invited me to join his new initiative focused on improving poverty and inequality, which later became the Shepherd Program. My experience in the program inspired my career in philanthropy.”
“I visit campus often to advise Shepherd students, and it’s amazing to witness how the program has evolved,” she continues. “Washington and Lee attracts higher caliber individuals every year — students like Jalen — who use their talents to serve the world.”
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TODD ’25 | Louisville, Kentucky
MAJOR: Cognitive and behavioral science
MINORS: Philosophy; Poverty and human capability studies
“It was incredible to work with leaders in Washington, D.C., and tell them my story, while helping people who grew up in similar circumstances to me.”
JALEN TODD ’25
“I began investigating how factors such as resource delegation affect global health.”
LIV ULLMANN ’25
During her summer internship last year in Kisumu, Kenya, Johnson and Bonner Scholar Liv Ullmann ’25 witnessed the challenges and triumphs of public health efforts in a developing country. “I was placed at the Kenya Medical Research Institute and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital (JOOTRH) — at the latter I worked directly with patients who had just received their diagnosis,” she recalls. “Speaking with those people face-to-face —after studying the science behind those diseases in my classes at W&L — reinforced my passion for medicine and made my studies even more meaningful.”
Her time in Kenya prompted Liv, a chemistry major with a minor in poverty studies, to approach disease treatment and prevention from a broader vantage point. “I began investigating how factors such as resource delegation affect global health,” she says. In summer 2024, she got hands-on experience researching on a population level alongside W&L alumnus and Board of Trustees member Dr. Jonathan Wortham ’04, who leads the Tuberculosis Molecular Epidemiology and Outbreak Investigations Team at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“Liv and I planned a summer internship where she worked with our team at CDC to identify potential outbreaks using tuberculo sis clinical and genetic data and wrote a scien tific manuscript,” Jonathan says. “She exemplifies how W&L students are critical thinkers and ready to take on impactful projects as undergraduates, and we share a few things in common — we both did internships with the Shepherd Program and had Erich Uffelman as our chemistry professor.”
Jonathan has dedicated his professional life to combating infectious diseases, investigating outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease, Ebola, Zika, and COVID-19 — often in the field. He also continues to practice clinical pediatrics. “My W&L education has given me tremendous opportunities, taught me to develop skills I never knew that I would need, and shaped my multidisciplinary approach to science, medicine, and public health,” he recalls. “Many alumni provided me with critical perspective throughout my journey, and I hope Liv is able to gain something similar through our collaboration.”
“Many alumni provided me with critical perspective throughout my journey, and I hope Liv is able to gain something similar through our collaboration.”
DR. JONATHAN WORTHAM ’04 Medical Epidemiologist , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Leading Lives of Consequence celebrates Washington and Lee University’s ideals and represents a powerful investment in current and future students who will carry those values forward. This campaign funds critical initiatives that will allow the transformative power of a W&L education to endure for generations to come.
COMMUNITY
The campaign directly supports students who live and learn every day at W&L.
CITIZENSHIP
By preserving and honoring W&L’s history, Leading Lives of Consequence enhances our ability to educate students about their roles and responsibilities within the wider world, empowering them to make consequential impacts on their communities after graduation.
CURRICULUM
The campaign ensures W&L continues to offer one of the best educational experiences in the country.
CAMPUS
Contributions to the campaign support necessary improvements to the university’s facilities to help W&L remain competitive and unlock new academic, athletic, and artistic opportunities for our faculty and students.
CONTINUITY
The campaign significantly bolsters the W&L Fund, allowing the university to remain agile and react quickly when immediate needs arise.
When alumni think back on Washington and Lee University, they might see the smiling faces of friends and professors as they walk across the footbridge on a fall morning, hear the sounds of cheering fans after the Generals score a goal or touchdown, or feel the cool water of the Maury River running over their feet.
Your support for Leading Lives of Consequence campaign celebrates moments like these, and furthers our long tradition of excellence. Your generosity means countless future students will lead lives worthy of W&L alumni — dedicating themselves to service, leading with integrity, and embarking on a relentless pursuit of knowledge.
“ Your generosity is of the greatest consequence — thank you for your support.”
BILLY WEBSTER ’79 Campaign Chair
Contact the Office of University Development at 540-458-8410 or campaign@wlu.edu.
EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE CAMPAIGN COUNCIL
Billy Webster ’79, Chair
Ward Davenport ’01
Baker Gentry ’88
William Hill ’74, ’77L
Annie Estrada Postma ’04
Ellen Fitzsimmons
Rogowski P’17
Lizanne Thomas ’82L
T. Blair ’99
Dana Bolden ’89
Cynthia Cheatham ’07
Mary Choksi P’11
Josephine Schaeffer
Covington ’96
Amy McCauley Farnsworth ’97
Hank Ingram ’13
Clay Jackson ’76
Geordy Johnson ’05
Philip Kensinger ’20
Ken Lang ’82
Sam McLemore ’02
Caroline Boone Mitchell ’89
Jessine Monaghan ’79L
Reuben Munger ’95
Phil Norwood ’69
Betsy Berkheimer Pakenas ’94
Charlie Prioleau ’82
Helen Hughes Sanders ’04
Jamie Small ’91
Mai Spurlock Sykes ’94
Andrew Tate ’98
William Toles ’92, ’95L
Charlie Tomm ’68, ’75L
Tom Wall ’80
