Gov. Youngkin appoints five new members to Board of Visitors

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin announced the appointment of five new members to the University’s Board of Visitors Friday. The new members are Dan Brody, Class of 1973 alumnus and president of medical software company Health Data Services, Marvin Gilliam Jr., University alumnus and former coal mining executive, David Okonkwo, University alumnus and director of Neurotrauma Clinical Trials Center at the University of Pittsburgh, David Webb, class of 1982 alumnus and real estate executive, and Porter Wilkinson, Class of 2007 alumna and chief of staff to the regents at the Smithsonian. Their terms will last until June 30, 2028.

The Board convenes four times a year and is responsible for overseeing the long-term planning of the University, voting on items such as the University’s budget, major construction developments and tuition. Its 17 voting members are appointed by the governor and approved by the Virginia General Assembly, with each of their terms lasting four years. The Board also includes a student and faculty representative, who serve as non-voting members and are appointed by the Board annually.

This selection of new Board members marks Youngkin’s third round of Board appointments — the governor appointed four new members last year and four new members in 2022, respectively. The newly-selected appointees replaced outgoing members Mark Bowles, Elizabeth Cranwell, Babur Lateef, Thomas DePasquale and James Murray, whose terms ended Sunday.

Of the five appointees, three — Brody, Gilliam and Webb — have each made donations of at least $80k to Youngkin-affiliated campaigns, such as his 2021 gubernatorial campaign or political action committee “Spirit of Virginia,” according to information from the Virginia Public Access Project, a nonprofit dedicated to providing the public with access to documents reflecting financial aspects of politics. Youngkin’s PAC — a type of tax-exempt organization that fundraises for or against political candidates of its choosing — raised a record-breaking $5.75 million in the second quarter of last year ahead of Virginia’s 2023 legislative election.

Brody graduated from the University with a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1973, and is the president of Health Data Services LLC, a Charlottesville-based medical software company. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the University’s Brody Jewish Center, which aims to empower Jewish students on Grounds, according to its website. According to VPAP, Brody donated $25,000 to Youngkin’s 2021 gubernatorial campaign, as well as $25,000 to his 2022 inaugural committee and $30,000 to Spirit of Virginia.

Gilliam, who previously served on the Board of Visitors from 2010 to 2014, also graduated from the University with a bachelor’s degree in economics. He owns Bristol-based development company MAM Development LLC and currently serves on the U.Va. Athletics Board of Trustees and the U.Va. Wise College Board. Gilliam was also vice president and part-owner of Cumberland Resources Corporation, an energy company that owned underground coal mines in Southwest Virginia and Kentucky, and helped facilitate its purchase by coal company Massey Energy in 2010.

Gilliam donated a total of $320,000 to Youngkin-related campaigns and committees — $120,000 to Youngkin’s 2021 gubernatorial campaign, $150,000 to Spirit of Virginia and $50,000 to Youngkin’s 2022 inaugural committee — according to VPAP.

Webb is the third of the appointees to hold a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University, having graduated in 1982. He serves as vice chairman for the commercial real estate services and investment company CBRE. According to VPAP, Webb has donated a total of $109,400 to Youngkin — $84,000 to his 2021 gubernatorial campaign, $25,000 to Spirit of Virginia and $400 to his 2022 inaugural campaign.

Okonkwo is also a University alumnus, having graduated from the University with a bachelor’s degree in biology. He works as a professor of neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh and director of the school’s Neurotrauma Clinical Trials Center. He attended Virginia Commonwealth University’s Medical College of Virginia, and subsequently returned to the University to complete his neurosurgical residency.

Wilkinson graduated from the University's School of Law in 2007 and currently works as counselor and chief of staff to the Smithsonian Institute’s Board of Regents. She previously clerked for current U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh from 2007 to 2008 during his time on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. After former President Donald Trump nominated Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court in 2018, Wilkinson spoke in support of his confirmation at an event hosted by conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation. Following her clerkship with Kavanaugh, she clerked for Chief Justice John Roberts of the Supreme Court from 2008 to 2009.

The Board will next convene Sept. 12 for the third of its quarterly meetings.

Gov. Youngkin appoints five new members to Board of Visitors

The governor’s appointees now make up a majority on the Board

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