Endowed Chairs, Professorships and Fellowships
Over the years, thoughtful and generous benefactors, wisely perceiving the critical importance of a strong faculty, have endowed chairs, professorships, and fellowships. These endowed funds offer a special way to recognize and pay tribute to distinguished faculty members who set the University's intellectual tone through their teaching, scholarship and research. Endowed chairs, professorships and fellowships serve as living memorials to donors and others whom the donor has wished to honor.
2021 New Endowed Position Holders
- Dr. Bertram Ashe, Jabez A. Bostwick Chair of English
- Dr. Violet Ho, E. Claiborne Robins Distinguished Professorship in Business
- Dr. Kathryn Jacobsen, William E. Cooper Distinguished University Chair
- Dr. Shakun Mago, Joseph A. Jennings Chair in Business
Faculty Members Reappointed to Endowed Positions
- Dr. Thomas Paul Bonfiglio, William Judson Gaines Chair in Modern Foreign Languages
- Dr. Jerry Gilfoyle, Robert and Lena Loving Chair of Physics
- Dr. Michelle Hamm, Clarence E. Denoon, Jr. Chair in Natural Sciences
- Dr. Michael Leopold, Floyd D. and Elisabeth S. Gottwald Chair in Chemistry
- Dr. Del McWhorter, Stephanie Bennett-Smith Chair in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies
- Dr. Monika Kukar-Kinney, F. Carlyle Tiller Chair in Business
- Dr. Dean Croushore, Rigsby Fellowship in Economics
- Dr. Pat Fishe, Patricia A. and George W. Wellde, Jr. Distinguished Chair in Finance
- Dr. Marshall Geiger, CSX Professorship in Accounting or Management Systems
- Dr. Al Goethals, The E. Claiborne Robins Distinguished Professorship in Leadership Studies
Current Chairholder
David G. Epstein, Appointed 2014
Past Chairholder
Rodney A. Smolla, 1998-2004
Visiting Scholar Series Past Topics and Scholars
1998 - Resolving International Environmental Disputes in the 1990s and Beyond
Beatriz Bugeda, Professor of Law, Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City
Edith Brown Weiss, Professor of Law, Georgetown University
Ben Boer, Professor of Environmental Law, University of Sydney, Australia and director of Australian Centre for Environmental Law
Philippe Sands, Reader in International Law, University of London
1997 [Information unavailable]
1996 - Euclid at Threescore Years and Ten: The Twilight of Environmental and Land-Use Regulation?
Loren A. Smith, Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Federal Claims
Charles M. Haar, Professor of Law, Harvard University
James E. Krier, Earl Warren Delano Professor of Law, University of Michigan
William A. McDonough, Dean and Elson Professor, University of Virginia School of Architecture
1995 - Special Issues in Bioethics and Law
Alexander Morgan Capron
Elizabeth Loftus
David Orentlicher
Daniel Callahan
1994 - International Human Rights
Anne-Marie Slaughter Burley
Thomas M. Franck
Harold Hongju Koh
Seyyed Hossein Nasr
Diego Garcia-Sayan
1993- Religion, Morality and the Law
Henry Abraham
Sanford Levinson
Michael Perry
1992 - Special Issues of Toxic Waste in Indian Country
W. Richard West
Robert A. Williams, Jr.
David Harrison
Paula Gunn Allen
1991 - Special Problems in Civil Litigations/Complex Litigation
Francis H. Hare, Jr.
Gerald A. Connell
The Honorable Robert M. Parker
Mary Kay Kane
1990 - Selected Topics in Tort Law
Sheila L. Birnbaum
The Honorable Robert Keeton
Richard Delgado
Deborah R. Hensler
Current Chairholder
Dr. Ladelle McWhorter, Appointed 2015
Dr. Ladelle McWhorter, Professor of Environmental Studies, Professor of Women, Gender, and Sexualities Studies, was appointed to the Stephaine Bennett-Smith Chair in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies in 2015. She holds an M.A., 1985 and a Ph.D., 1986 in Philosophy from Vanderbilt University. She has published three influential books: Racism and Sexual Oppression in Anglo-America (2009); Heidegger and Earth, editor, (1992, 1994; new edition 2009, Japanese translation, 2010]; and Bodies and Pleasures (1999). She served as guest editor of Foucault Studies for a Special Issue on Race (2011). She has won the Heller-Bernard Fellowship from the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies at CUNY (2006), and a Jesse Ball DuPont Grant at the National Humanities Center (1999).
Current Chairholder
Dr. G. Scott Davis, Appointed 1994
Dr. G. Scott Davis, professor of religion, was appointed in 1994 to hold the Lewis T. Booker Professorship of Religion and Ethics. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from Bowdoin College and a Ph.D. degree from Princeton University.
Current Chairholder
Dr. Bertrand Ashe, Appointed 2021
Past Chairholders
- Dr. Terryl L. Givens, 2010–2019
- Dr. Welford D. Taylor, 1991-2004
- Dr. F. Elaine Penninger, 1987-91
- Clement Tyson Goode, 1926-41
- John Calvin Metcalf, 1912-17
Current Chairholder
Dr. L. Stephanie Cobb, Appointed 2011
Dr. Stephanie Cobb joined the University of Richmond in 2011 as Associate Professor of Religion and the George and Sallie Cutchin Camp Professor of Bible. She earned her degrees at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (Ph.D.), Yale Divinity School (M.A.R.), and Baylor University (B.A.).
Professor Cobb's research focuses on the interrelationship between paganism, Judaism, and Christianity in the first and second centuries, particularly martyrdom and persecution, gender and sex constructions in antiquity, and the function of texts in communities. Her teaching interests include magic and religion in antiquity, women in early Christianity, studies of the historical Jesus, the spread and growth of Christianity, and the battle between orthodoxy and heresy in early Christianity.
Past Chairholder
- Dr. Jennifer A. Glancy, 2008-2010
- Dr. Robison B. James, 1992-2000
- Dr. O. William Rhodenhiser, 1988-1992
- Dr. Frank E. Eakin, Jr., 1980-1988
Current Chairholders
Dr. Kathryn Jacobsen, Appointed 2021
Kathryn H. Jacobsen, Professor of Health Studies, was appointed to the William E. Cooper Distinguished University Chair in 2021. As a specialist in epidemiology and global health, her research focuses on the population health transitions that occur with globalization, socioeconomic development, and environmental change. She is the author of two widely-used textbooks, Introduction to Global Health and Introduction to Health Research Methods, as well as more than 200 peer-reviewed publications.
Past Chairholder
Dr. William E. Cooper, 2007-2020
Current Chairholder
Dr. Terry Price, Appointed 2017
Dr. Terry L. Price specializes in leadership ethics and moral psychology. A philosopher with grounding in psychology, Dr. Price focuses his teaching and research interests on applied ethics. He also studied politics on a John M. Olin Fellowship at the University of Oxford. In addition to teaching leadership ethics, he has taught business ethics, medical ethics, and contemporary moral issues.
Past Chairholder
Dr. Joanne B. Ciulla, 2007–2016
Current Chairholder
Dr. Marshall A. Geiger, Appointed 2015
Past Chairholders
- Dr. Amit Eynan, 2009-2015
- Dr. Thomas J. Cossé, 2003-2009
- Dr. Robert M. Schmidt, 1997–2003
- Mr. Joe Ben Hoyle, 1991–1997
- Dr. D. Neil Ashworth, 1984–1991
Current Chairholder
Dr. Michelle L. Hamm, Appointed 2015
Dr. Michelle Hamm, Professor of Chemistry, was appointed to the Clarence E. Denoon, Jr. Professorship of Science in 2015. She holds an undergraduate degree from Carleton College and a doctorate from the University of Chicago. She completed her training in the bioorganic investigation of DNA damage, repair, and mutagenesis as a post-doctoral scholar at the Massachusetts Institute of Technologybefore joining the University of Richmond in 2001.
Professor Hamm received a University Distinguished Educator Award in 2007 and an A&S Outstanding Mentor Award in 2013. Dr. Hamm studies the bioactivity of one of the most common types of DNA damage and has received numerous external grants, including three NSF grants and funds totaling over $1.1 million, for her research. She has been honored to receive several awards for her research program, including a Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award and a Rising Star Award from the Women Chemists Committee of the American Chemical Society.
Current Chairholder
Dr. Rafael O. de Sa, 2020-2026
Past Chairholders
- Dr. Malcolm S. Hill, 2015–2018
- Dr. April L. Hill, 2009-2015
- Dr. Gerard P. Gilfoyle, 2009-2015
- Dr. Valerie M. Kish, 1993-2007
Current Chairholder
Dr. Pippa Holloway, Appointed 2019
Past Chairholders
- Dr. John French, Duke University, Fall 2013 or Spring 2014
- Dr. Jane Hathaway, The Ohio State University, Fall 2012
- Dr. Patrick J. Geary, UCLA, Fall 2011
- Dr. Alan S. Taylor, University of California-Davis, Fall 2010
- Dr. William Doyle, University of Bristol, United Kingdom, Spring 2010
- Dr. Don Doyle, University of South Carolina, Fall 2008
- Dr. Elaine Tyler May, University of Minnesota, Spring 2008
- Dr. Dan T. Carter, University of South Carolina, Spring 2007
- Dr. Paul Findlen, Stanford University, Fall 2005
- Dr. Shula Marks, University of London, Spring 2005
- Dr. Daniel E. Sutherland, University of Arkansas, Spring 2004
- Dr. Stuart Clark, University of Wales, Swansea, Spring 2003
- Dr. Bertram Wyatt-Brown, University of Florida, Spring 2002
- Dr. George C. Herring, University of Kentucky, Spring 2001
- Dr. William J. Cooper, Jr., Louisiana State University, Spring 2000
- Dr. Patrick Collinson, University of Cambridge, Spring 1999
- Dr. Catherine Clinton, Harvard University, Fall 1997
- Dr. Harry T. Dickinson, University of Edinburgh, Spring 1997
- Dr. Jack P. Greene, Johns Hopkins University, Spring 1996
- Dr. William E. Leuchtenburg, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Fall 1994
- Dr. Emory M. Thomas, University of Georgia, Fall 1993
- Dr. Dewey W. Grantham, Vanderbilt University, Spring 1993
- Dr. Robert V. Remini, University of Illinois at Chicago, Spring 1992
Current Chairholder
Dr. Thomas P. Bonfiglio, Appointed 2015
Current Chairholder
Dr. Sharon G. Feldman, Appointed 2012
Past Chairholders
- Dr. Robert M. Terry, 2002-2005
- Dr. Francoise Ravaux-Kirkpatrick, 1996-2002
- Dr. Albert C. Dawson, 1990-1996
Current Chairholder
Dr. Carol Parish, Appointed 2019
Research in the Parish group focuses on understanding the dynamical behavior of interesting molecular systems. The tools of quantum mechanics, conformational searching and free energy simulation are used to answer questions about the structure, energy and dynamics of HIV-1 protease inhibitor drugs, Bergman cyclization in enediyne anti-cancer warhead drugs, homology modeling of membrane-bound desaturase enzymes, investigations of the flexibility of polyoligomeric silsesquioxane cages (POSS), the role of O-to-N acyl migration in insect defense secretions and oligomeric models for synthetic enzymes that display enzyme-like acyltransferase activity. The physical nature of our work is diverse; however, the unifying theme is our methodological, physical-chemistry based approach.
Current Chairholder
Dr. Michael Leopold, Appointed 2015
Dr. Michael Leopold, associate professor of Chemistry, was appointed in 2012 to The Floyd D. Gottwald & Elizabeth S. Gottwald Chair in Chemistry. He received a B.S. from James Madison University and a Ph.D. from North Carolina State University. He teaches Chemical Structure, Dynamics and Synthesis Lecture and Laboratory (Introductory Chemistry) Measurement Statistics, Quantitative Methods of Chemical Analysis Lecture and Laboratory, Chemical Separations Lecture and Laboratory, Introduction ot Undergraduate Research in Bioanalytical Nanomaterials. Dr. Leopold received the University's Distinguished Educator Award in 2008 along with the Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award ('10), the Arts & Sciences Outstanding Mentor Award ('09) and was named the Omicron Delta Kappa, "Professor of the Year" ('07).
Past Chairholders
- Dr. John T. Gupton, III, 2010–2019
Current Chairholder
Dr. Laura Browder, Appointed 2010
Dr. Laura Browder was appointed to the Tyler and Alice Haynes Professorship in American Studies in 2010. A Professor of American Studies and English, she received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Brown University, Master of Arts degree from Boston University, and doctoral degree from Brandeis University. Dr. Browder is the author of When Janey Comes Marching Home: Portraits of Women Combat Veterans.
Past Chairholders
- Dr. Kibibi Mack-Shelton, 2002-2008
- Dr. Jon Michael Spear, 1995-2001
Current Chairholder - Vacant
Past Chairholder
- Dr. Gary L. McDowell, 2015-2018
Current Chairholder
Dr. Thomas Arnold, Appointed 2016
Current Chairholder
Dr. Shakun Mago, Appointed 2021
Past Chairholders
- Dr. KimMarie McGoldrick, 2010–2016
- Dr. Marshall A. Geiger, 2004-2010
- Dr. Jerry L. Stevens, 1992-2004
- Dr. Robert C. Dolan, 1986-1992
Current Chairholder
Dr. Jerry Gilfoyle, Appointed 2018
Dr. Jerry Gilfoyle, professor of physics, earned his bachelor’s degree at Franklin and Marshall College and his Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania. He explores the quark nature of matter with a recent excursion into nuclear arms policy. Since 1999, he has been involved in science policy. He was worked on methods to secure fissile material in Russia for the US Department of Defense and on identifying new technologies for homeland security with the American Physical Society’s Task Force on Countering Terrorism.
Past Chairholders
- Dr. Cornelius W. Beausang, 2004-2017
- Dr. Michael F. Vineyard, 2000-2002
- Dr. James B. Seaborn, 1992-2000
- Dr. R. Wayne Major, 1980-1992
Current Chairholder
Dr. Matthew Oware, Appointed 2020
Past Chairholders
- Dr. Ted C. Lewellen, 1999-2003
- Dr. C. Ray Wingrove, 1987-1999
- Dr. James A. Sartain, 1980-1986
- Dr. Edward W. Gregory, Jr., 1966-1973
Current Chairholder
Dr. Carol Summers, Appointed 2014
Dr. Carol Summers, professor of history, was appointed to the Samuel Chiles Mitchell - Jacob Billikopf Professorship in History in 2014. She holds an undergraduate degree from Swarthmore College and a doctorate from Johns Hopkins University. Carol Summers' research and writing has examined social policy in Africa, particularly education, development, and segregation in Colonial Zimbabwe and health in Colonial Uganda and more recently, political ethics, values and rhetoric in late colonial Uganda.
A faculty member at the University since 1991, Professor Summers has compiled an outstanding record as a teacher and scholar. She has earned the University’s Distinguished Educator Award for teaching that is demanding; yet admired by students. Treating history as a series of problems, of human activities that must be explained, she is determined that students learn to see it that way. A ceaseless interrogation of evidence begins immediately with the syllabus and runs through every minute of every class, every line of every examination and along every margin of every paper. Her teaching has also ranged widely, including, in addition to her courses in African history, the Core Course, a First-Year Seminar, and courses in International Studies and Anthropology. As a scholar, she has published two well-received books (From Civilization of Segregation: Social Ideals and Social Control in Southern Rhodesia, 1890-1934 and Colonial Lessons: Africans Education in Southern Rhodesia, 1918-1940) and many substantial articles and is completing a third monograph. Her work is distinguished by a knack for uncovering unexploited sources, a talent for making specific case studies yield general resonance, a cautious skepticism about received interpretations, and a judicious use of theory.
Past Chairholders
- Dr. John D. Treadway, 2004-2014
- Dr. Ernest C. Bolt, Jr., 1982-2004
Current Chairholder
Dr. Peter I. Kaufman, Appointed 2014
Dr. Peter Iver Kaufman, professor of leadership studies, was appointed to the George Matthews and Virginia Brinkley Modlin Chair in Leadership Studies in 2008. He earned his bachelor's degree from Trinity College, a Master of Divinity degree from Chicago Theological Seminary, and Master of Arts and doctoral degrees from the University of Chicago.
He was formerly Professor of Religious Studies and History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. For his teaching at UNC, he was honored with the Tanner Award (twice), the University Award (twice), and the Bowman and Gordon Gray Professorship. Peter also served as the Faculty Coordinator for the Johnston and Carolina Scholars Program and the Scholars' Latino Initiative.
He is the author of numerous articles and books, including Incorrectly Political: Augustine to Thomas More.
Past Chairholders
- Dr. Richard A. Couto, 1998-2002
- Dr. Howard T. Prince II, Fall 1996
Current Chairholder
Dr. Jessica M. Flanigan, Appointed 2019
Past Chairholders
Dr. Andrew Murphy, 2018
Dr. Richard L. Morrill, 1998-2004
Current Chairholder
Dr. William T. Ross, Appointed 2010
Dr. William T. Ross, professor of mathematics, was appointed to the Roger Francis and Mary Saunders Richardson Chair in Mathematics in 2010. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Fordham University and his masters and doctoral degrees from the University of Virginia. Professor Ross joined the University of Richmond in 1992, and was honored as a University of Richmond Distinguished Educator in 1998. His research interests include complex analysis and operator theory.
Past Chairholders
- Dr. James A. Davis, 1998-2010
- Dr. J. Van Bowen, 1992-1998
Current Chairholder
Dr. Dean D. Croushore, Appointed 2015
Dr. Dean D. Croushore, associate professor of economics, joined the University in 2003 as the first Rigsby Fellow in Economics. He holds Ph.D. and M.A. degrees from The Ohio State University and an A.B. degree from Ohio University. Dr. Croushore taught at Princeton University, The Pennsylvania State University, The Johns Hopkins University, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and Temple University, and was vice president and economist for the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia before coming to the University of Richmond.
The focus of Professor Croushore's research in recent years has been on forecasting and on how data revisions affect monetary policy, forecasting, and macroeconomic research. His publications include articles in many leading economics journals and a co-authored textbook on macroeconomics. He is the author of a textbook on money and banking published in 2005.
Current Chairholder
Dr. Jeffrey S. Harrison, Appointed 2004
Dr. Jeffrey S. Harrison, Professor of Management Systems, joined the University of Richmond in the fall of 2004 as the W. David Robbins Chair in Strategic Management. He earned his Ph.D. and M.B.A. degrees at the University of Utah and his B.S. at Brigham Young University. He is a prolific researcher in strategic management, having authored some 30 articles and five books since 1985. His work in mergers and acquisitions is considered seminal in his field.
Past Chairholders
- Dr. R. Duane Ireland, 2000-2004
- Dr. W. David Robbins, 1987-1994
Current Chairholder
Dr. Stephen Tallman, Appointed 2005
Dr. Stephen B. Tallman, professor of management systems, was appointed the E. Claiborne Robins Distinguished Professor in Business in 2005. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the United States Military Academy and served as an officer in the U.S. Army for six years. After working as a project manager and mechanical engineer with Mobil Chemical Company, Dr. Tallman earned a doctoral degree from the University of California at Los Angeles.
Professor Tallman's primary research interests include globalization strategies, capabilities-based strategy, international diversification strategies, industry clusters, and issues surrounding international business alliances and joint ventures.
Current Chairholder
Dr. Violet Ho, Appointed 2021
Current Chairholder
Professor Kurt Lash, Appointed 2017
Kurt T. Lash came to the University of Richmond School of Law in 2017 from the University of Illinois College of Law, where he was the Guy Raymond Jones Chair in Law and the co-director for the Program in Constitutional Theory, History, and Law. A renowned expert on the Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments, teaches constitutional law and First Amendment law. Professor Lash has published widely on the subjects of constitutional law and constitutional history, including The Fourteenth Amendment and the Privileges or Immunities of American Citizenship (Cambridge University Press, 2014), The Lost History of the Ninth Amendment (Oxford University Press, 2009), and The American First Amendment in the Twenty-first Century: Cases and Materials (with William W. Van Alstyne) (5th ed., Foundation Press, 2014). His research has been published in the Yale Law Journal, Georgetown Law Journal, and Stanford Law Review, among other venues, and he has been cited by the Supreme Court and U.S. Courts of Appeals.
Current Chairholder
Dr. Sandra J. Peart, Appointed 2018
Dr. Sandra J. Peart obtained her doctorate in economics from the University of Toronto in 1989. She began her career as an assistant professor of economics at the College of William and Mary and then joined the faculty at Baldwin-Wallace University. She was a visiting scholar at the Center for Study of Public Choice at George Mason University in 2004?05, and the following year, she was a fellow of the American Council on Education. Add another box for Sandra Peart who is a current chairholder as well.
Current Chairholder
Dr. George Rodman Goethals, Appointed 2012
Current Chairholder
Dr. David Wilkins, Appointed 2019
Past Chairholders
- Dr. Fredric M. Jablin, 1994-2004
Current Chairholder
Vacant
Past Chairholder
Dr. Richard Dagger, 2010-2021
Dr. Lazaro Lima, 2011–2019
Current Chairholder
Dr. Geoff Goddu, Appointed 2017
Past Chairholders
- Dr. Ladelle McWhorter, 2005-2011
- Dr. James H. Hall, Jr., 1982-2005
- Benjamin Clark Hotzclaw, 1929-1966
- Walter Jorgensen Young, 1914-1919
- Thomas Albert Lewis, 1911-1914
- William Heth Whitsitt, 1901-1911
- William Dandridge Thomas,* 1886-1901
*Son of James B. Thomas, Jr.
Current Chairholder
Dr. Crystal Hoyt - Appointed 2019
Current Chairholder
Dr. John Donelson Ross Forsyth, Appointed 2005
Current Chairholder
Dr. Monika Kukar-Kinney, Appointed 2015
Past Chairholders
- Dr. Thomas M. Arnold, 2009-2015
- Dr. Dafna Eylon, 2004-2008
- Dr. J. Patrick Raines, 1992-2003
- Dr. Harold W. Babb, 1986-1992
Current Chairholder
Dr. Cindy Bukach, Appointed 2017
Current Chairholder
Dr. Kelly Lambert, Appointed 2019
Past Chairholders
- Dr. Jane M. Berry, 2010–2017
- Dr. Catherine L. Bagwell, 2011-2012
- Dr. Craig H. Kinsley, 2005-2011
- Dr. Scott T. Allison, 2002-2007
- Dr. Andrew F. Newcomb, 1999-2005
- Dr. William E. Walker, 1985-1991
- Dr. Kenneth A. Blick, 1979-1985
- Dr. Arthur L. Irio (visitor), 1977-1978
Current Chairholder
Dr. Edward L. Ayers, Appointed 2015
Past Chairholders
- Dr. Suzanne Jones (2012–2018)
- Dr. Stephen L. Addiss
Past Chairholders
- Dr. Robert Kenzer, 2005-2020
- Dr. Harry M. Ward, 1993-1999
- Dr. W. Harrison Daniel, 1986-1993
- Dr. Joseph Clarke Robert, 1968-1972
- Dr. Ralph C. McDaniel, 1959-1968
- Dr. Samuel Chiles Mitchell, 1939-1945
Current Chairholder
Dr. Martha L. Merritt, Appointed 2015
Past Chairholders
- Uliana F. Gabara 2003 - 2014
Current Chairholder
Sandra F. Joireman, Appointed 2013
Past Chairholder
Dr. Frank E. Eakin Jr., 1988–2020
Current Chairholder
Vacant
Current Chairholder
Dr. Raymond P.H. Fishe, Appointed 2015
Dr. Raymond P. H. (Pat) Fishe, professor of finance, was appointed the initial holder of The Distinguished Chair in Finance upon joining the University in 2003. He earned his B.S.B.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Florida. Professor Fishe has been recognized for his strong teaching skills at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and is an experienced contributor to non-credit executive education programs. He has an impressive record of research publishing in some of the best journals in the field of finance. Dr. Fishe has been researching market microstructures for nearly two decades.
Current Chairholder
Dr. Douglas Bosse, Appointed 2018
Dr. Doug Bosse, Professor of Strategic Management and also Chair of the Management Department received his Ph.D. from Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University. His research examines how firms manage key stakeholder relationships to improve firm-level performance. He often facilitates strategic planning and leadership alignment activities for executive teams and boards.
Past Chairholders
- Dr. Robert A. Phillips, 2016–2022
- Dr. Jerry Stevens, 2013–2016
- Dr. Paul Clikeman, 2011-2013
- Dr. David S. North, 2009-2011
- Dr. Robert C. Dolan, 2007-2009
- Mr. Joe Ben Hoyle, 2005-2007
- Dr. John H. Earl, Jr., 2003-2005
- Mr. Raymond L. Slaughter, 2001-2003
Current Chairholder
Mr. Carl W. Tobias, Appointed 2016
Mr. Carl W. Tobias, professor of law, was appointed to the Williams Chair in Law for a six-year term beginning August 2004. He received his B.A. from Duke University and his LL.B. from the University of Virginia. He is a profilic writer who has had numerous law review articles, essays, commentaries, and book reviews published. Professor Tobias has also written many commentaries and op-ed pieces for news publications including the National Law Journal, Christian Science Monitor, Washington Times, Legal Times, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Examiner, and Baltimore Sun.
Current Chairholder
Professor Corinna Barrett Lain, Appointed 2017
Corinna Lain is a nationally known constitutional law scholar who writes about the influence of extralegal norms on Supreme Court decision making, with a particular focus on the field of capital punishment. Her scholarship, which often uses the lens of legal history, has appeared in the Stanford Law Review, University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Duke Law Journal, UCLA Law Review, and Georgetown Law Journal, among other venues. Her legal history work was cited by the Delaware Supreme Court in its 2016 opinion invalidating the death penalty, and her work on lethal injection drugs has been singled out as a “must read” for lawyers practicing in the capital punishment area.
