The Old Dominion University Board of Visitors elected new officers, as part of its recent annual meeting, with Murry Pitts as Rector, Andy Hodge as Vice Rector and Rick Wyatt as Secretary. The new officers will serve two-year terms in their respective positions through June 30, 2026.
P. Murry Pitts '80 was appointed to the Board of Visitors on Aug. 14, 2020, by Governor Ralph Northam and was reappointed to a second four-year term on July 1, 2022, by Governor Glenn Youngkin. He currently serves as Rector of the Board. He is a distinguished leader and accomplished entrepreneur, renowned for his strategic acumen and operational prowess across various industries. Born into a Navy family in Norfolk, Virginia, Murry's upbringing instilled in him a deep sense of discipline and commitment to excellence from an early age. He embarked on his academic journey at Old Dominion University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice in 1980. His education laid the foundation for a remarkable career characterized by innovation and entrepreneurial spirit from the tools ODU provided. His professional journey commenced in the shipping industry with United States Lines, where he witnessed firsthand the transformative impact of containerization on global trade. Rising through the ranks, he eventually assumed the role of Division Manager for European Services, leveraging his leadership skills to drive operational efficiency and business growth. In the late 1980s, he embarked on an entrepreneurial journey, acquiring several Paperboard Packaging companies. Through strategic vision and relentless determination, he transformed these acquisitions into leading providers for the burgeoning Food and Craft Beer industry in North America. In 2015, he orchestrated the successful sale of his company to Graphic Packaging, a prominent player in the paperboard packaging sector, cementing his reputation as a savvy dealmaker. Post-acquisition, he transitioned into the role of Vice President of Sales and Operations for the East Coast at Graphic Packaging, where he continued to drive revenue growth and operational excellence. Following his tenure at Graphic Packaging, he assumed the helm as CEO of Bobst, a prestigious Swiss-based company and the largest global provider of Packaging manufacturing equipment. His leadership at Bobst was characterized by a pursuit of innovation and operational excellence, solidifying the company's position as an industry leader. Since 2018, he has lent his expertise to numerous private equity firms, serving in various capacities such as due diligence consultant, CEO, board member, executive coach and equity partner. His strategic insights and operational leadership have been instrumental in guiding domestic and international acquisitions ranging from $50 million to $500 million. The diverse sectors including consumer packaged goods, supply chain, manufacturing, packaging, medical devices and real estate. His recent roles include serving as CEO of Burlington Medical in Newport News and as a board member for Accord Carton in the Chicago metro area. In addition to his corporate endeavors, he is deeply committed to mentorship and team development, actively fostering talent and leadership within organizations. He is also the proud father of two children: Dr. Lexie Soult, a trauma surgeon at EVMS in Norfolk, Virginia, and C.C. Pitts, a regenerative therapy specialist with Kerecis in Raleigh, North Carolina. He currently resides in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he continues to contribute his expertise to the business community working with University of Virginia Darden School of Business young entrepreneurs and angel investing in start-up and maturing ventures. With a wealth of experience and a passion for education, he is poised to make a lasting impact on the University's community and shape the future of higher education.
Andrew (Andy) Hodge was appointed to the Board of Visitors on July 1, 2023, by Governor Glenn Youngkin. He currently serves as Vice Rector of the Board. He is Group President of Middle Market, Corporate & Specialty Banking for Atlantic Union Bank. This role includes managing teams across the bank’s entire geographic footprint, including Richmond, Northern Virginia, Maryland, Pittsburgh and Hampton Roads. He was promoted into this role in 2023, after serving as the regional president of the bank’s Eastern Region and head of corporate banking for the past six years. The combined team includes 55 full-time employees and approximately $3.4 billion in loans outstanding. The teams include three general industries commerce and industry teams, a government contracting specialty team, an asset-based lending team and a corporate banking team. The priorities in order of importance are soundness, profitability and growth, which include proactively managing the portfolio, diversification of the portfolio and growing both interest and non-interest income. He has specialized in building and growing commercial teams, including middle market and corporate banking. He led the Atlantic Union Bank Coastal Region through a significant merger in early 2018 and brought direction to the team. The region grew commercial loans and deposits for five consecutive years, with 2022 being the best year at 24% loan growth. The region has successfully undergone a systems integration, treasury management platform migration and talent transition. He is a part of the Wholesale Leadership Team, which is charged with setting strategy and formulating priorities and structure that allow the line of business to grow responsibly. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, Atlantic Union Bank has been in existence since 1902 and has over 140 branches from North Carolina to Maryland. With close to $25 billion in assets, Atlantic Union Bank is the largest headquartered regional bank in the state of Virginia. He is a graduate of High Point University in North Carolina and holds an MBA from the George Washington University in Washington D.C. He entered banking after graduate school, attending BB&T’s Management Development Program, a six-month rotation that included formal credit training. He has spent the past 21 years in commercial banking with BB&T and PNC Bank and now Atlantic Union Bank. He is married to Kirsten Hodge, who holds a doctorate in neuroscience and is a veteran of the U.S. Navy. They have three children and reside in Richmond. They are avid outdoor enthusiasts and enjoy jogging, hiking and kayaking. Hodge likes to play golf. He is past chairman of the board of the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art in Virginia Beach. He is also a board member of several organizations, including the Tidewater Community College Foundation and the Hampton Roads Workforce Council Foundation.
D.R. (Rick) Wyatt was appointed to the Board of Visitors on July 1, 2023, by Governor Glenn Youngkin. He currently serves as Secretary of the Board. He is corporate vice president and treasurer for Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII). Named to this position in 2011, he is responsible for banking and credit, corporate finance, cash management and forecasting, insurance and risk management, mergers and acquisitions, investments and trusts, financings, capital structure, capital markets, rating agency relationships, short-term investments and pension trust asset management. He joined HII in 1982 and has held numerous positions in the financial area of the company, including cost engineering, cost control, program and contract management, financial analysis and government accounting. Prior to being elected treasurer of HII, he served as director of business management, treasurer and assistant treasurer of Newport News Shipbuilding and manager of finance. He has extensive experience in capital markets, corporate transactions, spin-offs and subsequent start-ups, balance sheet management and operations analysis. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Hampden-Sydney College and an MBA from Old Dominion University. Huntington Ingalls Industries is one of America's largest military shipbuilding companies and a provider of professional services to partners in government and industry. For more than a century, HII has built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder at its Newport News Shipbuilding and Ingalls Shipbuilding divisions. Employing about 44,000 in Virginia, Mississippi and Louisiana, HII also provides a wide variety of products and services to other government customers, including the Department of Energy.
In being selected to lead the Board, Rector Pitts said, “I am honored to have an opportunity to provide leadership to such an outstanding group of accomplished individuals, who are highly dedicated to the continued success of Old Dominion University. It is a privilege to be joined by both Andy and Rick and receive their direct engagement and critical support over the next two years. Our great institution has experienced tremendous progress in recent years and the best is yet to come from the expertise and insight of a diverse set of professionals, who are ready to lock arms with President Hemphill and his administration, as well as a caring community of students, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters.”
In addition to new Board leadership, Governor Glenn Youngkin appointed new members Brian Campbell, Stanley Goldfarb, Bruce Thompson and Claire Wulf Winiarek, to four-year terms beginning on July 1, 2024 and concluding on June 30, 2028.
Brian E. Campbell is a native of Gloucester, Virginia and can trace his family roots in Virginia over many generations (Nelson and Amherst Counties). Shortly after graduating from high school, he enlisted in the United States Air Force and was stationed at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. He served as both a Security Specialist and Security Instructor. He participated in contingency operations in Egypt (1981), Panama (1982), Germany (1984) and Honduras (1985-1986). After separating from the Air Force, he moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, where he was involved in politics and public service. He ran for City Council in Charlottesville in 1994 and was ultimately appointed by Governor George Allen to the State Board of Social Services from 1994-2001. In 1996, he began a career in higher education at the University of Virginia Medical School Foundation (executive director). He has since worked at Iowa State University (senior director of development), the Nevada System of Higher Education (executive director), Geisinger Commonwealth Medical College (founding chief institutional advancement officer) and North Carolina State University (assistant dean for development and college relations). He currently serves as the senior advisor for external affairs at the Medicines for All Institute at Virginia Commonwealth University. He holds an undergraduate degree in Business from Averett University and a master's degree from the University of Virginia.
Stanley Goldfarb, MD is board chairman of Do No Harm. He has had a long career in academic medicine as a professor of medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania. During that career, he was funded by the National Institutes of Health to conduct research in the mechanism of kidney disease. He has published over 100 articles in peer-reviewed medical journals, such as the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of Clinical Investigation. He has also published over 150 invited reviews and commentaries. He has also served on a number of editorial boards of important medical journals, such as the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, the Journal of Diabetes and as Editor in Chief of Nephrology Self-Assessment Program (NephSAP), a journal published by the American Society of Nephrology. He has also been active in the world of medical education as the associate dean for curriculum at the Perelman School of Medicine at Penn. He helped found Do No Harm after publication of his book, “Take Two Aspirins and Call Me by My Pronouns,” a call to action to eliminate discriminatory practices in healthcare, including elevating diversity above meritocracy in the admission of students to medical school and the hiring of faculty members. As Chairman of Do No Harm, he has published widely in various periodicals, including the Wall Street Journal, City Journal, The New York Post and The Free Press on the threats to medical education and medical care in the United States posed by introduction of critical race theory into these enterprises. In addition, Do No Harm has been in the forefront of organizations combating the experimental treatment of children and adolescents with gender-affirming care in the absence of scientific evidence showing its efficacy. Do No Harm is committed to the welfare and safety of these children by demanding that healthcare institutions follow the science and severely restrict this potentially harmful form of treatment.
Bruce L. Thompson is chief executive officer of Gold Key | PHR Hotels. He has been a leader in the travel industry for more than 30 years. His first venture grew to become the largest ski operator on the East Coast. That company evolved into Professional Hospitality Resources (PHR), as he expanded into hotels and restaurants. In 1986, he entered the vacation ownership industry, co-founding the highly successful Gold Key Resorts. Today, his companies generate annual revenues exceeding $140 million and employ over 2,400 associates. His companies own and manage hotels, resorts, commercial real estate and restaurants in Virginia and North Carolina. He has been an ardent supporter of the travel industry, serving as a director of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) and on the board of many tourism and development organizations. He served for seven years on the Governor's Travel Advisory Committee, American Resort Development Association Board, Resort Area Advisory Commission, Resort Leadership Council, Virginia Beach Festivals Committee and the Virginia Small Business Financial Authority. He was Chairman of Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell's Transition Team for Film and Tourism and was appointed to the Governor's Economic Development and Jobs Creation Commission. In July 2010, he was appointed by the Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) Foundation Board of Trustees to serve on the EVMS Board of Visitors. In recognition of his accomplishments in the timeshare industry, he was awarded "Best Industry Leader" in 2012 by Perspective Magazine, the leading trade publication for the timeshare and fractional ownership industry. He is a vocal proponent of community service. Since 2008, he has organized the largest Walk to Defeat ALS efforts in that organization's history, raising more than $5 million to support the ALS Society, patient care and medical research. In 2009, he designed and secured funding for the world's first fully accessible oceanfront park for the disabled, JT's Grommet Island Beach Park and Playground for EveryBODY, which opened on the Virginia Beach oceanfront in May 2010. He received the 2009 ARDA Ace Philanthropic Award, the 2009 Outstanding Community Visionary Award from Amerigroup Foundation and the Virginia Center of Inclusive Committees Humanitarian Award, and Gold Key Resorts (a company piloted by him) received the 2010 ARDA Ace Community Service Award. After many years in support of the Virginia Beach Neptune Festival, he was crowned King Neptune XXXVIII in 2010. He is a member of the Hampton Roads Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Foundation. In 2012, he received the Lenora B. Matthews Lifetime Achievement Award from Volunteer Hampton Roads, recognizing his continued commitment to the community. Most recently, he was honored by the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce as the 2023 Hampton Roads First Citizen, identifying him as a key leader working tirelessly to lead the region to fruitful partnerships and greater prosperity.
Claire Wulf Winiarek, Ph.D. '07 '21 is a healthcare and public policy leader with a demonstrated history of building teams and delivering results across healthcare decision-makers — from regulators and policymakers to industry. She leads U.S. state and federal advocacy for Amazon's healthcare and pharmacy businesses. She previously led public policy and alliances for the pharmacy benefit management industry and is the immediate past Director of the Medicaid Managed Care Division (now Group) for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. She has led public policy teams for Fortune 500 healthcare companies like Magellan Health, Elevance and Amerigroup and served on staff to Congresswoman Thelma Drake of Virginia. A child prodigy, she completed her B.A. in Political Science and International Relations at the age of 17 from Mary Baldwin University's Program for the Exceptionally Gifted. She also is a proud Monarch, holding doctoral and master's degrees in International Political Economy and U.S. Foreign Policy from Old Dominion University (ODU). She is published in academic and industry journals on topics ranging from healthcare payment to democratic transitions and serves on the Peer Review Board for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Telehealth and Medicine Today. She serves as Vice Chair of the Virginia Board of Health Professions and on the Special Education Advisory Committee to Arlington Public Schools. She is a founding member of CHIEF™, a nationwide network of executive women, and is a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance and American Council of Young Political Leaders. Previously, she served on the Boards of Directors for the Girl Scout Council of the Colonial Coast, Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Virginia, ODU's Center for Global Health and national healthcare accreditor, URAC. She has served on strategic committees and panels for the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy, Healthcare Leadership Council's Confidentiality Coalition, U.S. Pharmacopeia and SNP Alliance. A native of Norfolk, Virginia, she co-founded Global Shapers Norfolk, an initiative of the World Economic Forum to support young leaders, with a fellow ODU alum. For nine years, she also served as a chief election officer in Chesapeake, Virginia. She now resides in Arlington with her two children and dogs.
The Board of Visitors is also welcoming a new Board of Directors that was created by the General Assembly to provide governance and oversight to Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University, which is a newly established comprehensive academic health sciences center. The inaugural members of the Board of Directors are Bob Aston; Rear Adm. Rob Bianchi; Bruce Bradley; Rob Broermann; Ted Chambers, MD; George Faatz; Tim Faulkner; Mark Fleming, MD; The Honorable Daun Hester; The Honorable S. Chris Jones; Ashton Lewis; Keith Newby, MD; Murry Pitts; The Honorable Blythe Scott; and Bruce Waldholtz, MD with President Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D. and Executive Vice President for Health Sciences Alfred Abuhamad as ex-officio members.
In welcoming the Board of Directors, Rector Pitts said, “I look forward to working with each and every member of both the Board of Visitors and Board of Directors as we embrace the legacy and promise of Eastern Virginia Medical School and the energy and growth that Old Dominion University brings to this bold initiative. This is such an exciting time for Hampton Roads and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Again, I look forward to a collaborative partnership between the Board of Visitors and Board of Directors in the months and years to come.”
President Hemphill added, “For the last three years, a far-reaching and significant endeavor was undertaken to transform education, research and patient care in our local communities and beyond. With the finalization of the integration of Eastern Virginia Medical School into Old Dominion University, the real work of the state’s most complex academic health sciences entity in both scope and size is just beginning with dedicated funding from the Commonwealth of Virginia and strong support from Sentara Health. The Board of Visitors, including both new and returning members, and Board of Directors will play a pivotal role in our current efforts and future success. I look forward to working with both groups as the mission and vision of Old Dominion University continues to grow our impact and expand our possibilities now and well into the future.