The leaders of the University of Virginia’s board resigned Friday after Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger (D) asked them and at least three other appointees of her Republican predecessor to step down, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Rector Rachel Sheridan and vice rector Porter Wilkinson had been in the leadership posts since July. The people spoke of the departures on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss them publicly.
The flagship university in Charlottesville had been in turmoil much of the past year, including the resignation of president James E. Ryan amid pressure from the Trump administration. The U-Va. board chose a new president last month, despite a request from Spanberger to wait until she could fill several vacant seats.
The shake-up on the board came a day before Spanberger is set to take office and as Democrats signaled they would move quickly to unwind some changes made at Virginia colleges during the Youngkin administration.
Jay Jones (D), the incoming attorney general, dismissed the general counsels at George Mason University and the Virginia Military Institute. Democratic legislators also vowed to make more changes in how the state’s public colleges are governed.
The moves follow a tumultuous year for colleges and universities in Virginia, which have faced intense scrutiny from the Trump administration and other conservatives over diversity, equity and inclusion policies, the response to antisemitism and the provision of gender transition care, among other topics.
In February, conservatives on the governing board at VMI declined to renew the contract of retired Army Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins, the military institute’s first Black leader, after years of tension over his DEI policies. George Mason has been the focus of multiple federal investigations, with university President Gregory Washington, that school’s first Black leader, often being the direct target of conservatives’ ire.
The U-Va. board has had only 12 of its 17 voting member seats filled in recent months after Senate Democrats rejected new appointees from Youngkin. Spanberger had said she would fill those vacancies on her first day in office.
Spanberger also asked Paul Manning, a major U-Va. donor, along with Douglas Wetmore and Stephen Long, to resign, according to three people familiar with the matter. It was not immediately clear whether any others had already submitted their resignations. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.
The board members and the offices of Youngkin and Spanberger did not respond to a request for comment.
Spanberger’s request was first reported by the New York Times.
Additional leadership shake-ups were in the works at two other Virginia colleges.
George Mason University counsel K. Anne Gambrill Gentry and associate counsel Eli Schlam, along with VMI general counsel Patrick O’Leary, were notified this week by Jones’s office that Friday would be their last full days as their universities’ top attorneys, according to a VMI spokesperson and an email from Gentry reviewed by The Washington Post.
Jones’s office did not respond to a request for comment Friday.
Gentry had been appointed by Republican Attorney General Jason S. Miyares, whose office also did not respond to a request for comment.
In Virginia, university counsels currently are named by and report to the office of the state’s attorney general. Their service, which includes providing legal guidance to the school in lawsuits and other operations, typically can span multiple administrations.
But as Miyares took office in 2022, he fired the top counsels at the University of Virginia and George Mason. At the time, a Miyares spokesperson said it was common for incoming attorneys general to appoint counsel that shares their “philosophy and legal approach.” U-Va.’s counsel, Tim Heaphy, had also been on leave as he led a House investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
George Mason officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Gentry, a GMU graduate, wrote in an email reviewed by The Post that Friday would be her and Schlam’s last full day as university counsel.
“It was a pleasure to represent my alma mater these past 19 years,” Gentry, whose husband is a Youngkin donor, wrote.
VMI spokesperson Sherry Wallace confirmed that Friday was also the last full day for O’Leary, a VMI alumnus. He had served in the role since 2021 and was appointed by former Virginia attorney general Mark Herring (D).
“VMI’s general counsel received a letter late yesterday informing him that his services are no longer required by the state attorney general’s office and that today is his last day in the office,” Wallace wrote in an email.
Democratic state lawmakers have questioned how the governing boards at the institutions — dominated by Youngkin appointees — led the schools during those conflicts. State legislators are considering increasing board member terms to six years so no one governor’s appointees can ever dominate the board.
Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott A. Surovell (D-Fairfax) said in an interview that he believes allowing universities to hire their own counsels will ensure the institutions can serve their best interests.
He said he approves of the dismissal of George Mason’s university counsel but didn’t have information as to why VMI’s attorney was fired.
“They need to be able to rely on solid independent legal advice of counsels of their choosing so they can make decisions not only on the best political interests of the attorney general that happens to be advising them” Surovell said.
In another sign of change at George Mason, rector Charles “Cully” Stimson tendered his resignation Friday in a letter obtained by The Post. Youngkin appointed Stimson to serve on the board in 2023.
Stimson, who has been George Mason’s rector since July 2024, has overseen the board as it sought to dismantle DEI and pare back other policies it saw as too liberal. Stimson recently quit the Heritage Foundation over concerns about the conservative think tank’s response to concerns over antisemitism. But earlier this week, he announced he was returning to the organization.
In his board resignation letter, Stimson called it an “extraordinary privilege and distinct honor” to be on the board. The note was addressed to Youngkin, Washington and vice rector Michael Meese. Stimson did not respond to a request for comment.
In an interview, Meese said he was “immensely grateful for working with Cully and thankful for his service on the board.”
Gregory S. Schneider contributed to this report.
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