2022 Event Schedule

Peruse and shop for goods and services created and offered by W&M entrepreneurs.

Meet Maureen Elgersman Lee, director of the W&M Bray School Lab, and Matthew Webster, Colonial Williamsburg’s executive director for architectural preservation and research. Tour the centuries-old structure where enslaved and free African Americans studied. Learn about the descendent research and document transcription underway, as well as the discoveries related to the 18th-century building. Continue on to the archaeological dig underway at the First Baptist Church and hear from a member of the team about the process of uncovering details about the past. Tour the adjacent site where the Bray School will be relocated in 2023 (maximum capacity: 18).

Move down Duke of Gloucester Street to get a sneak peek at the Red Lion, a recently renovated historic home that is not open to the public. Meet Ann Marie Stock (W&M’s presidential liaison for strategic cultural partnerships), who is currently residing in the Red Lion, and hear from her and Colonial Williamsburg President and CEO Cliff Fleet ’91, M.A. ’93, J.D. ’95, M.B.A. ’95 about the exciting partnership between the two organizations. Ann Marie will also offer a tour of this beautifully appointed historic home and invite you to enjoy tea and refreshments.

Get a sneak peek at the Red Lion, a recently renovated historic home on Duke of Gloucester Street that is not open to the public. Meet Ann Marie Stock (W&M’s presidential liaison for strategic cultural partnerships), who is currently residing in the Red Lion, and hear from her and Colonial Williamsburg President and CEO Cliff Fleet ’91, M.A. ’93, J.D. ’95, M.B.A. ’95 about the exciting partnership between the two organizations. Ann Marie will also offer a tour of this beautifully appointed historic home and invite you to enjoy tea and refreshments.

Then, walk or board the bus to the recently expanded Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg, featuring more of the collection on view than ever. Discover colorful and whimsical folk art made by self-trained artisans in the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum and objects that are useful as well as beautiful in The DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum. Plus, enjoy new amenities including the Museum Store and Café. A member of the Colonial Williamsburg team will welcome you to the museums and provide an introduction (maximum capacity: 18).

Join a tour of W&M’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) in Gloucester Point to speak with scientists (female, of course) about current research related to oyster aquaculture, water quality, global change and more. The tour will also include a visit to the Nunnally Ichthyology Collection for an up-close view of preserved fishes from Chesapeake Bay to the deep sea. Registrants will convene at VIMS (maximum capacity: 30).

Start this part of the excursion at 2:30 p.m. at the Muscarelle Museum of Art to learn about the mission, strategic growth of collections and upcoming building expansion project. Danielle Moretti-Langholtz, curator of Native American art; Julia Blair Hunter, director of development at the Muscarelle; and Melissa Parris, deputy director of collections, exhibitions and operations; will provide an overview of the museum’s goals as well as highlight opportunities for engagement with alumnae. Silvia Tandeciarz, vice-dean for social sciences & interdisciplinary studies; Suzanne Raitt, vice-dean for arts, humanities & interdisciplinary studies; and

Gerald Bullock, executive director of development for Arts & Sciences, will give an update on the progress of William & Mary’s new Arts Quarter Arts with its planned opening for the fall of 2023, and will highlight how these buildings are providing the centerpiece to wider arts visioning opportunities across all parts of campus.  Light refreshments will be provided.

 At 3:15 p.m., we’ll take a walk-by tour of the Arts Quarter, which is designed to create an exemplary environment for the performing arts.  A new music building and extensive renovations to Phi Beta Kappa Memorial Hall, the Arts Quarter will provide completely updated spaces for the Theatre, Speech & Dance and Music Departments, including new classrooms, practice facilities, studios, offices, theaters and concert and recital halls. Since this is an active construction site, wearing of closed-toe shoes are required for the tour.  (maximum capacity: 100)

Convene at the Sunken Garden to connect with friends old and new and capture the power of our collective of W&M women through an aerial photograph. In 2018, the Women’s Weekend picture was in the shape of a “100.” Can you guess what it will be in 2022?

President Katherine Rowe will offer welcoming remarks followed by a keynote address from bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize-winner Isabel Wilkerson.

Join us for dinner and drinks as you stroll about “your home” — the W&M Alumni House.

We’re all Betty Whites and RBGs on the inside, but our outsides sometimes betray us. Join this hands-on session to learn about how the senior body works and discover ways to help it work better. Come have fun with simple movements designed for all ages and abilities to help maintain and improve strength, flexibility and balance as we age gracefully! No experience or equipment is necessary. There will be light activity included. Attire: clothing and shoes that will allow you to move freely (maximum capacity: 25).

Instructor — Wendy LeBolt ’83, exercise physiologist and author of 'Fit to Finish'

Yoga is a wonderful way to release tension and reconnect with the mind, body and spirit. This class systematically works the entire body, incorporating strength, balance and flexibility. The breath work and static poses will stimulate your mind and restore your body.

Instructors — Cindy Crace and Patti DeBlass, W&M certified yoga therapists (International Association of Yoga Therapists)

Experience our College Woods through a mindful engagement of the senses. Tuning in to the marvels of nature, we shift our perspective away from a sense of urgency and toward connection.

Successful schools directly contribute to community vibrancy. There are many critical issues in education that can be addressed through partnerships with schools and community organizations. Join a moderated a panel of W&M School of Education faculty illuminating the research that demonstrates the impact of these initiatives and the ways in which school leaders and faculty and community members can take action.

Robert C. Knoeppel, dean of the W&M School of Education

What if the solution to the problems we face wasn’t (just) more data? What if there was something more — something far simpler yet far more impactful? In this interactive and engaging session, we’ll unpack the role that storytelling plays in achieving results. You’ve got a powerful story — why not use it to your competitive advantage?

Phil Wagner, associate professor, Raymond A. Mason School of Business

Join W&M Law School Immigration Clinic leaders as they discuss their advocacy work for women who arrive in Hampton Roads from around the world. Professor Stacy Kern-Scheerer and Fellow Nicole Alanko — and the students they teach — represent incredibly strong women who come to the United States for reasons such as securing a safe future for their families, escaping gender-based violence and seeking freedom to express and live feminist ideas.

Stacy Kern-Scheerer, W&M professor of the practice of law and director of the Immigration Clinic
Nicole Alanko, attorney and fellow at the Immigration Clinic

For the first time in its history, all four academic departments at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science are chaired by women professors. Learn how they maintain their own internationally respected research programs, teach courses and mentor students, while also serving as administrators - providing leadership, vision and guidance to the faculty, staff and students housed within their respective departments. During this session, these four remarkable women will provide a brief overview of their impactful research programs, as well as insights about their journey navigating the traditionally male-dominated field of marine science and higher-ed administration.

Mary Fabrizio, professor and department chair, Fisheries Science
Courtney Harris, professor and department chair, Physical Sciences
Kimberly Reece, professor and department chair, Aquatic Health Sciences
Deborah Steinberg, CSX Professor and department chair, Biological Sciences

Did you know that for the first time in W&M’s three-century storied history, there are equal numbers of women and men serving in senior leadership roles? Join four W&M women leaders who serve as direct reports to President Katherine Rowe for a casual conversation — as if you were sitting in a living room sipping tea (or your adult beverage of choice!). They will share their professional paths, those who have lifted them up (or not), discuss leadership, crisis management and more!

Ginger Ambler ’88, Ph.D. ’06, P ’24, vice president for student affairs — moderator
Peggy Agouris, provost
Chon Glover M.Ed. ’99, Ed.D. ’06, chief diversity officer
Amy Sebring M.P.P. ’95, chief operating officer

The Inclusive Design and Accessibility (IDEA) Hub within W&M’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business and the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR) are collaborating to improve the life and work of UNHCR disabled employees. Together, faculty and students are engaged in critical research projects to help capacity-building of assistive technologies for the UNHCR. Such projects increase meaningful research and help drive William & Mary’s global impact. The talk will highlight the work and research conducted so far.

Eleanor T. Loiacono, professor of business analytics

W&M faculty and students tackle timely and important issues in research labs at the Global Research Institute. Issues they address include the effectiveness of pandemic policies around the world, policy solutions to health disparities, China’s global influence, and financing for sustainable development goals. Learn more about how they’re building sustainable research labs, mentoring the next generation of scholars and practitioners, increasing women’s voices and perspectives in traditionally male-dominated fields, and producing research of consequence.

Carrie Dolan, assistant professor of kinesiology
Samantha Custer, AidData’s director of policy analysis

Join Maria Donoghue Velleca, dean of William & Mary’s Faculty of Arts & Sciences, for a faculty panel showcasing ongoing A&S initiatives that address human rights and justice. Each panelist will provide a short “Mary Talk” with time afterward for questions and interaction.

Dean Maria Donoghue Velleca, moderator

From taking a knee in protest of racism to the “Battle of the Sexes” match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs to Title IX and the U.S. women’s soccer team’s fight for pay equity, sports have always served as a powerful medium for creating social change. The impact of athletics goes well beyond the playing field or court. Through telling their personal stories, our panelists will share their experiences as women athletes and coaches and explore ways that women’s sports have exposed and contributed to or detracted from inclusion, equity and social justice. Join us for this panel of W&M women who will weigh in on how they have used their platforms as athletes and coaches to combat discrimination, build bridges and use their collective power to create social change.

Pick up your lunch at the Sadler Center and take it to your favorite place on campus to enjoy — the Sunken Garden? Sadler Center patio? Alumni House lawn? The field hockey field? Gather friends and enjoy catching up or take an opportunity to meet someone new!

Join us for an opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look into the future of W&M Athletics and the new W&M Athletics Complex. Meet and mingle with coaches and student-athletes and hear from Assistant Athletics Director for Advancement James Frey, new Women’s Basketball Head Coach Erin Dickerson Davis and Director of Athletics Annual Giving Aleyha Johnson. 

Learn about and experience the superpower behind most entrepreneurial success stories — Opportunity Discovery. During our time together, you’ll get a tour of the stunning Tribe Square Entrepreneurship Hub and together we’ll dispel the myth that entrepreneurship is all about the idea. This will be an active hands-on, student-led session that will include an out-of-the-building Opportunity Scavenger Hunt followed by a debrief discussion.

Hearth: Memorial to the Enslaved was dedicated May 7, 2022. This memorial is a project that was years in the making, and yet it is just the beginning of William & Mary’s long road toward reconciliation and repair. Join leaders of The Lemon Project as they discuss their ongoing research, community engagement efforts and role in the movement of universities dealing with the legacies of slavery. Our Porch Talk will begin at the Wren Building, where we will reflect on the space through the lens of the experiences of African Americans at William & Mary. From there, we will explore Hearth and talk about research and our bridge-building work. The talk will end at the Sankofa Seed sculpture and the Legacy Tribute Garden.

Jody Allen ’07, assistant professor of history, Robert Francis Engs Director of The Lemon Project

Join W&M faculty and students for a tour of the Integrated Science Center (ISC) complex. ISC I, II and III represent more than a decade of sustained investment in sciences at W&M. ISC is not your old Millington Hall. With over 230,000 square feet of space, it is a state-of-the-art integrated, interdisciplinary science center and serves as the home to the departments of Biology, Chemistry, Neuroscience, Psychology and Applied Science. From an atomic force microscope to an automated DNA sequencer to a greenhouse on the roof, the ISC complex provides an ideal location for learning and discovery. In addition to seeing all that ISC has to offer, the tour will include three-minute presentations by students showcasing their independent research!

Sometimes seniors start over or reinvent ourselves because we have to; sometimes because we want to. Either way, we all have what we need to dream new dreams and realize them. Head to the new Swem Library patio for a practical and inspirational conversation with Meredith Maran, author of “The New Old Me” (subtitled “My Late-Life Reinvention”), about how to do that, and all the great and messy things that happen when we do.

Yoga is a wonderful way to release tension and reconnect with the mind, body, and spirit. This class systematically works the entire body, incorporating strength, balance and flexibility. The breath work and static poses will stimulate your mind and restore your body.

Instructors — Cindy Crace, and Patti DeBlass, W&M certified yoga therapists (International Association of Yoga Therapists)

Experience our College Woods through a mindful engagement of the senses. Tuning in to the marvels of nature, we shift our perspective away from a sense of urgency and toward connection.

Instructor — Martha Rouleau, adjunct lecturer at W&M, qualified mindfulness-based meditation leader