Governor announces appointment of alumna Kathy Hornsby to W&M Board of Visitors

Hornsby, who serves as business manager for her husband, Grammy-winning musician and songwriter Bruce Hornsby, will replace Alvin Anderson ’70, J.D. ’72, whose term expired on June 30, 2007.

“The addition of Kathy Hornsby to our College’s Board of Visitors makes an exceptional Board stronger still,” said William and Mary President Gene R. Nichol. “She will be an inspiring model of civic engagement for our students and — I’ve no doubt — a devoted leader and wise counselor for us all. I’m also very pleased that John Gerdelman, Anita Poston, and our vice rector, Hank Wolf, have been reappointed to the Board, as I’ve come to count on them all a great deal. I am, finally, most grateful for Alvin Anderson’s service which has been invaluable to his alma mater — and to this president.”

Hornsby has been an active alumna since she graduated from William and Mary in 1979 with a degree in education. A painter and former teacher, Hornsby is a supporter of the College’s Muscarelle Museum of Art, where she currently serves as a member of its acquisitions committee. In 2001, during state budget shortfalls, including a shrinking budget for the arts, Hornsby hosted a gala benefiting the museum. In 2005, she loaned paintings to the exhibit “William and Mary Collects II” and served as a panel speaker for the exhibit. She has served as the Class of 1979 reporter for the Alumni Magazine since 2003, and was a member of her 20th and 25th class reunion committees.

Hornsby is also well-known in the Williamsburg community and beyond for her civic involvement. In 1996, she co-founded the Williamsburg Land Conservancy, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and preserving natural, scenic, agricultural and historic land in the Historic Triangle. She serves on the advisory council of the Peninsula Habitat for Humanity, the Williamsburg-James City County Community Task Force for the Prevention of Alcohol & Drug Abuse. She has previously served on the board of directors of Child Development Resources (which she also chaired).

“I am thrilled that Kathy Hornsby will serve her alma mater as a member of its Board of Visitors – she will be a true asset to the College and to our Board,” said Michael K. Powell, Rector of the College. “We are also pleased that John Gerdelman, Anita Poston and our Vice Rector Hank Wolf will be able to continue their tremendous service to this College. I finally wish to acknowledge the tremendous contributions of Alvin Anderson to the Board and to William and Mary. He leaves the Board having made it a better institution.”

Gerdelman, Poston and Wolf, who is currently serving his second consecutive year as Vice Rector of the College’s governing body, were first appointed to four-year terms in 2003.

Gerdelman, of Williamsburg, is chairman of Intelliden, a leading provider of network configuration software. He also chairs the College's Real Estate Foundation. A member of the Class of 1975, Gerdelman received the Alumni Service Award in 2001 and the Alumni Medallion in 2005. Gerdelman serves on the Board’s Committee on Financial Affairs and Executive Committee, and chairs the Committee on Administration.

Anita Poston, of Norfolk, is a 1974 graduate of the law school and recipient of its Citizen Lawyer Award (2001). She is also a former member of the Norfolk School Board and the Virginia Community College Board, and a partner in the law firm of Vandeventer Black LLP. Poston serves as chair of the Board’s Committee on Academic Affairs, and also is a member of the Committee on Administration and the Executive Committee.

Henry Wolf, of Norfolk, is a member of the Class of 1964 as well as a 1966 graduate of the law school. He recently retired as Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer of Norfolk Southern Corporation. In addition to serving as Vice Rector, Wolf is chair of the Committee on Financial Affairs and vice chair of the Executive Committee and the Committee on Administration.