Four alumni elected as new trustees of the William & Mary Foundation
From left to right: Hilary Grant Dixon ’00, Todd Howard ’93, Stephen Tang ’82 and Michael Petters M.B.A. ’93.
The William & Mary Foundation (WMF) announced the addition of four new members to its Board of Trustees — Hilary Grant Dixon ’00, Todd Howard ’93, Stephen Tang ’82 and Michael Petters M.B.A. ’93.
Dixon, Howard and Tang have filled vacancies left by David Jallits P ’12, P ’16, Kevin Phillips ’84, and Brooke Trible Weinmann ’79, P ’17, who were elected to emeritus status in early October after serving three three-year terms. Petters will serve as an ex-officio trustee representing William & Mary’s Board of Visitors, a position formerly held by Hon. John Littel P ’22.
“William & Mary is privileged to count among our alumni some truly remarkable leaders, dedicated to the future success of our university,” said WMF Chief Executive Officer Matthew T. Lambert ’99. “The new members we welcome this fall are that and more. I am proud to have Hilary, Todd, Steve and Mike join us on the board — their unique backgrounds and deep love of alma mater will serve the Foundation well as we fulfill our mission to support the university’s people and programs.”
The William & Mary Foundation’s defining and essential mission is to support the university’s people and programs. The WMF currently oversees more than three quarters of the university’s total endowment. The independent volunteer Board of Trustees, consisting of a maximum 40 members, leads the WMF and advises staff on the investment and management of gifts. By seeking private support, and then diligently managing those funds, the Foundation advances and furthers the work of William & Mary’s students and faculty — providing vital resources for scholarships, professorships, research and program funding.
The WMF is organized and operated exclusively for charitable, scientific, and educational purposes, within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, including receiving, managing, investing, and administering private gifts and property and making expenditures to or for the benefit of the university.
Hilary Grant Dixon ’00
Dixon graduated with a degree in psychology from W&M in 2000 and is a writer, photographer and award-winning creative. While at the university, she was a member of ESSENCE Women of Color, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and a regular contributor to Winged Nation literary magazine. After graduation, Dixon refined her skills in writing and photography through various work experiences, including expository writing instruction, stock photography modeling and as a booking agent for Wilhelmina Models. In 2014, Dixon published her first book, “Maggie Sinclair, Will You Please Fix Your Hair!?” Inspired by Dixon’s real-life experience, this story shows how a young girl uses her creativity and imagination to celebrate her amazing head of hair while sharing a lesson about self-love.
Dixon has been involved with volunteer work for the past 20 years. At W&M, she is a charter member of the Society of 1918 and she also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Hulon Willis Association from 2015 to 2019. She has been an active volunteer at the Potomac School and has also been an active alumna of her high school, Mount Saint Mary Academy. She has served her sorority as an alumna in various capacities such as co-chair of the Sisterly Relations Committee and as an active member of both the Health and Wellness and Membership Committees.
Todd Howard ’93
Howard graduated from William & Mary in 1993 with a Bachelor of Business Administration. He is a designer, director, and producer at Bethesda Game Studios. He joined Bethesda in 1994 and has created some of the industry’s most successful games, pioneering open world gameplay with The Elder Scrolls and Fallout games series. Howard is currently directing Starfield, Bethesda’s first new gaming universe in over 25 years. Following that he is set to direct The Elder Scrolls VI, the follow-up to the landmark Skyrim. He is also producing a new Indiana Jones game with LucasFilm and a Fallout television series with Amazon.
For his work in the video game industry, Howard has been honored as one of the world’s top game creators — he has received the Game Developers Conference Lifetime Achievement Award, Germany’s Lara of Honor, GameLab Spain’s Legend Award, Develop’s Star Award and the New York Game Critics Legend Award, and he has been inducted into The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences’ Hall of Fame. GamePro magazine named him to the Top 20 Most Influential People in Gaming over the Last 20 Years in 2016 and was named Best Game Director by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences in 2012 and 2016. Howard is one of the only developers to create four Game of the Year award winners in a row with Oblivion, Fallout 3, Skyrim, and Fallout 4. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Make-a-Wish Foundation Mid-Atlantic and The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences.
Stephen Tang ’82
A respected business leader, innovation seeker and commentator, Tang most recently served as President and CEO of OraSure Technologies, Inc. from 2018 to 2022. He was previously OraSure’s Chairman of the Board of Directors and was first elected to the board in 2011. Tang earned a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from William & Mary, a Ph.D. and M.S. in chemical engineering from Lehigh University and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He also has been awarded honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees from Philadelphia University and Philadelphia’s Wagner Free Institute of Science.
During his time as CEO of OraSure, the company delivered record revenue growth and the largest expansion of innovative products, employees and facilities in its 35-year history. Tang also served as President and CEO of the University City Science Center — the nation’s first and largest urban research park in Philadelphia — and was a senior executive with Olympus America, at the helm of its Life Science Group of businesses. Prior to that, he was an energy technology entrepreneur and a senior executive at two leading global management consulting firms. Tang is also a respected commentator — his op-ed pieces have been published in The Wall Street Journal, The Hill, Philadelphia Inquirer and Morning Call (Allentown, PA). Tang is currently writing a book with the working title "A Test for Our Time: Crisis Leadership for the Next Normal.” In his business career, he has held the titles of chairman of the board, chief executive officer, and founder/owner for 33 combined years.
Michael Petters M.B.A. ’93
After receiving his B.S. from the U.S. Naval Academy, Petters was commissioned into the Navy where he served aboard the nuclear-powered submarine USS George Bancroft (SSBN 643) and spent five years in the U.S. Naval Reserve. He then joined Newport News Shipbuilding in 1987 in the Los Angeles-class submarine construction division and held a number of increasingly responsible positions throughout the organization, including production supervisor for submarines, marketing manager for submarines and carriers, vice president of aircraft carrier programs, vice president of contracts and pricing and vice president of human resources. In 1993, Petters received his M.B.A. from William & Mary.
Petters is executive vice chairman of the board of directors at Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), a global engineering and defense technologies provider. Previously he served as HII’s president and CEO. Before that, Petters served as president of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding and as president of Northrop Grumman’s Newport News sector. Petters also serves as chairman of the Board of Governors for the Aerospace Industries Association and is a member of the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation Board of Directors. Petters and his wife, Nancy Briggs Petters ’81, are avid supporters of William & Mary. A gift they provided through their foundation extended and expanded Camp Launch, a STEM camp for gifted students offered through the W&M School of Education.
Retiring Board Members
David Jallits P ’12, P ’16
Jallits is the parent of two W&M graduates and brought his expertise from the investments and financial sectors to the WMF Board over the past nine years. Jallits earned his Bachelor of Science in finance with a concentration in economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 1983. He then spent more than 25 years as an investment manager at various institutions. Jallits currently serves as the chief investment officer at Duchossois Capital Management. For his achievements in the investments field, Jallits was named the Hedge Fund Consultant of the Year in 2014 by Institutional Investor Magazine. Jallits served on the Investments Committee and as one of the Foundation’s representatives to the 1693 Partners Fund Board.
Kevin Phillips ’84
Phillips graduated from William & Mary in 1984 and served on the WMF Board since October 2013. As a student, Phillips was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and a walk-on to the football team his first two years. Phillips was also involved in Army ROTC and after school spent time in the Army Officer Basic Course before assignment with a reserve unit. Following graduation, he worked for a defense electronics manufacturer as a cost accountant — in short time, he rose to the role of chief financial officer at CTX Corporation. An established leader, Phillips stayed on as CFO when CTX Corporation was acquired by ManTech, a top provider of high-performance solutions for defense and intelligence agencies. In 2018, he was appointed president and CEO of ManTech. Phillips served on the Budget & Finance Committee, the Executive Committee and the Audit Committee, which he chaired from 2018-2021.
Brooke Trible Weinmann ’79, P ’17
Weinmann is both a William & Mary alumna and a parent of a W&M graduate. As a W&M student, Weinmann was named to “Who’s Who: College.” She participated in the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, served on the Honor Council, participated in the W & M Washington Program and was a member of the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society. Additionally, she served as a president’s aide, a resident advisor, an orientation aide and an admission tour guide. Weinmann graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts in history and went on to pursue a Master of Business Administration from Harvard University. She then worked for IBM as a sales representative before co-founding the independent college preparatory Atlanta Girls’ School, where she is still involved as a trustee emerita. Additionally, she is currently the director of partner engagement for Connoisseurs Tours, a company that designs sophisticated travel programs for regional and national organizations. She is also a charter member of William & Mary’s Society of 1918. Weinmann was an active and devoted trustee during her time on the WMF Board as she served on the Academic Sub-Committee, the Committee on Trusteeship, the Development Strategy Committee and the Executive Committee. Weinmann chaired the Committee on Trusteeship from 2019-2021, a period marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and the end of the record-setting For the Bold campaign.
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