Governor announces appointments to W&M Board of Visitors
Karen Kennedy Schultz ’75 and James A. Hixon, J.D. ’79, M.L.T ’80 were named today by Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe as appointees to the William & Mary Board of Visitors. Todd A. Stottlemyer ’85 and Thomas R. Frantz ’70, J.D. ’73, M.L.T. ’81 were reappointed.
Schultz, a professor and director of the Center for Public Service and Scholarship at Shenandoah University, and Hixon, executive vice president for law and corporate relations at Norfolk Southern Corporation, replace Peter A. Snyder ’94 and Leigh A. Pence ‘00.
Stottlemyer was elected in April to his second term as Rector of the Board.
“With Karen and Jim, we welcome loyal members of the family home. Both are devoted William & Mary people, with strong commitments to the progress of alma mater,” said William & Mary President Taylor Reveley.
“We also look forward to our continued relationship with Todd Stottlemyer and Tom Frantz. Their service on the Board over the last four years has been extraordinary,” he said.
“We owe enormous thanks to Pete and Leigh for their dedication to William & Mary while on the Board of Visitors,” Reveley continued. “Their ties to alma mater are strong and abiding.”
The newly appointed Board members will serve four-year terms beginning July 1.
Karen K. Schultz ‘75
A lifelong teacher, Schultz has been a professor at Shenandoah University for more than 30 years and has received both Teacher of the Year and Exemplary Teacher Awards. In 2015, she was recognized by Shenandoah with the Director’s Award for Outstanding Faculty for Civic Engagement.
Active in community affairs and local government, Schultz currently serves on the Virginia Governor’s Advisory Board for Service and Volunteerism and the Board of Trustees, Shenandoah Valley Westminster-Canterbury. She is a member of the Community-Campus Partnerships for Health and the Rotary Club of Winchester City. Schultz has also served on the Winchester School Board, the governing board for the Mountain Vista Governor’s School, the Virginia School Board Association and the National School Board Association.
Her ties to William & Mary are deep. She is currently a member of the William & Mary Giving Societies, has served on both her 35th and 40th year reunion committees and spent more than 10 years on William & Mary’s Leadership Council. In addition to being an alumna, Schultz is married to fellow classmate Gene Schultz ’75, and both of their children graduated from William & Mary - daughter, Katie Plum ’06, M.A.Ed. ’12 and son, Ben Schultz ’09.
Schultz has also been involved with William & Mary’s Active Citizens Conference, where she presented sessions in both 2012 and 2015.
In addition to her B.A. from William & Mary, Schultz also holds a Ph.D. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, as well as an M.B.A. and an A.S. from Shenandoah University.
James A. Hixon, J.D. ’79, M.L.T. ‘80
Hixon serves as executive vice president for law and corporate relations at Norfolk Southern Corporation. He has been with the company, in various capacities, since 1985 including vice president of taxation, senior vice president of employee relations, senior vice president of administration, senior vice president, legal and government affairs and executive vice president, finance and public affairs. In his current position he is responsible for legal affairs, federal, state, and community activities, and corporate governance. He is also vice president and executive officer of the Norfolk Southern Foundation. Prior to his time at Norfolk Southern, Hixon served as partner in the Vienna, Virginia law firm of Soutzos & Pierson.
His community involvement is vast. Hixon serves as a trustee on the National Railroad Retirement Investment Trust, chairman of the Board of Directors for the Virginia Arts Festival, and a member of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates in Virginia. He is a former board member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, former member of the VIMS Council and past Rector of Old Dominion University’s Board of Visitors.
In addition to his degrees from William & Mary, Hixon holds a B.S. in finance from Virginia Polytechnic Institute.
William & Mary has been a family affair for the Hixon’s as well. He and his late wife, Robin, have been strong supporters of the William & Mary Law School. Last fall, ground was broken for the James A. and Robin L. Hixon Center for Experiential Learning and Leadership. The center will house all nine of the law school’s clinics as well as the Legal Practice Program, a multipurpose conference room, classroom space and a new courtroom.
Their daughter Kate graduated from W&M in 2008.
Todd A. Stottlemyer ‘85
Stottlemyer has served on the Board of Visitors since 2011 and Rector since 2013. He has also served on the Board of Advisors for the Thomas Jefferson Program in Public Policy, the William & Mary Athletic Educational Foundation, the William & Mary Washington Council, the William & Mary Foundation Board and is a guest lecturer at the Mason School of Business.
He also currently serves on the boards of the Northern Virginia Technology Council (Vice Chairman), the Inova Health System, the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce (former Chairman), Virginia Commerce Bank and the Virginia Business Higher Education Council. He also has served as a lecturer for the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School’s Executive MBA Program. In 1995 he was appointed to the University of Mary Washington Board Of Visitors, where he served as chairman of the Audit and Finance Committee
Stottlemyer served as CEO of Acentia, an information technology and management consulting company, until its acquisition by MAXIMUS in March 2015. Prior to joining Acentia, he served as a member of the executive management team at the Inova Health System. His earlier career included time as co-founder and CEO of Apogen Technologies, a leading provider of technology solutions; president and CEO of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB); president of McGuireWoods Consulting; CFO of BTG and as a member of the executive management team of BDM International. He has been recognized by Washington Smart CEO magazine as one of their 20 most admired CEOs in the Washington, D.C. area.
In addition to his B.A. in government from William & Mary, he earned a J.D. from Georgetown University.
His daughter Caroline currently attends the university.
Thomas R. Frantz ’70, J.D. ’73, M.L.T. ‘81
Frantz currently serves as Chairman of the Board for Williams Mullen and maintains a corporate legal practice as a partner representing multi-national corporations, handling major mergers and acquisitions. He previously served as president and CEO of the firm from 2010 to 2015.
Frantz has long been active in civic and educational organizations. He currently serves on the board of the Mason School of Business, the Advisory Board of the William & Mary Business Law Review and the Virginia Business Higher Education Council. In 2009, William & Mary Law School recognized him with their Citizen Lawyer Award, honoring him for his longtime service to the Law School. He is also a member of the Foundation Board of Eastern Virginia Medical School, and is on the Board and Executive Committee of the Virginia Beach Neptune Festival, the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center, the Hampton Roads Business Roundtable and Virginia Beach Vision. Frantz is a former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Virginia Beach Vision, Cape Henry Collegiate School, Virginia Beach Foundation, Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center and the Hampton Roads Partnership.
He was named First Citizen of Virginia Beach by the Virginia Beach Jaycees and received the VOLUNTEER Hampton Roads’ Lenora Matthews Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding leadership in community service.
Frantz was first appointed to the Board of Visitors in 2011. He served as secretary of the Board from 2013 to 2015.
His daughter, Lindsey F. Noel ’08, M.A.Ed. ’12, also attended William & Mary.
