The valued members of the Randolph-Macon faculty and staff who retired in 2020 said goodbye at an unusual time when it was not possible to celebrate their contributions with a send-off party, as is the RMC tradition! While we continue to plan for a belated celebration on-campus, today we honor and acknowledge their dedication and the mark they left on RMC.

Aouicha Hilliard

Professor – Romance Languages

Years of Service: 37

Dr. Hilliard was an extraordinary professor, scholar and mentor, who would spend night and day working hand-in-hand with her students to practice their skills. Her creative courses often brought in content from outside her core area. In addition to her scholarship as a Professor of Romance Languages, Dr. Hilliard is the founding mother of the Office of International Education at RMC, who began her pioneer work in internationalization of the campus from the time when such an effort was hardly recognized yet. Her colleague Mayumi Nakamura noted, “Her personable approach and warm-hearted demeanor have not only guided our students to become more open-minded and empowered about their abilities and future but also helped many of us, including myself, feel at home and an integral part of the institution. It was my greatest honor to have worked for and with her and I am extremely grateful for her to let me be a small part of her remarkable career at the College.”

Billie Raines

Assistant Director of Financial Aid

Years of Service: 13

Billie will be remembered for bringing the creativity of an artist, the caring of a mother and the charm of an entertainer to the often cold hard numbers in financial aid. She had the ability to let her warm personality shine through as she helped families navigate the complex federal, state and institutional financial aid process. Beyond her daily assistance to families, Billie led the College’s work-study program which is an important facet of student development and College operation. Billie’s able service is missed, almost as much as her infectious humor and good spirit.

Caroline Busch

Director of Budget and Financial Analysis

Years of Service: 24

Caroline Busch was a consummate professional who always kept the College’s best interest in mind when making financial decisions for the Institution. She started in Accounts Payable and held several roles through the years, always adding value, accuracy, and striving for wise use of College resources. Her last role, Director of Budget and Financial Analysis, included overseeing the College’s budget process, annual audit, financial modeling, reporting, cash management, and maintaining the content of the Business Office Website. During Caroline’s tenure, the College always had a balanced budget and the College’s Audit Financial Statements had a “clean opinion.”

Carroll LaHaye

Head Women’s Basketball Coach and Associate Professor of Physical Education

Years of Service: 38

The mission at Randolph-Macon is about developing the mind and character of our students and very few have done it better than Coach LaHaye. She was consistent throughout the years, supporting women’s athletics and creating an environment that allowed for other programs to thrive. Carroll’s 38 years of service to Randolph-Macon centered around her devotion to the College, her student-athletes and her teachings. Her teams were successful on the scoreboard, in class and within the community, and created a lasting identity of tradition and excellence.

Craig Anderson

Director of Counseling Services

Years of Service: 17

Craig led the Counseling Center through multiple changes and configurations, including Director of the combined career & counseling centers before they were split out into the Edge and Counseling. Craig grew his staff to reflect the increasing demand of our students, and was a wonderful and caring boss who looked out for his team. He had a playful sense of humor not seen by many outside the office. Most importantly, Craig also put the needs of our students at the center of his area’s mission. He took his clinical work very seriously and made a difference in countless young lives over his 18 years at RMC.

Debbie Green

Housekeeper

Years of Service: 30

Deborah R. Green, who likes to be called Debbie, came to Randolph-Macon College as a part-time Housekeeper in 1989 with the demand requiring her to work full-time hours. During her tenure at the College, Debbie worked in just about every building on campus and did a great job in all. She was known for spending extra time to make sure that our campus buildings looked outstanding, and always with a friendly, contagious smile and easygoing attitude. Debbie concluded her excellent work at the College in Olin and Irby Residence Halls and the Dalton House. Debbie retired in January 2020 and enjoys spending time and caring for her grandchildren.

Donna Curtis

Annual Programs Specialist

Years of Service: 11

As a dedicated member of the Advancement team for 11 years, Donna always ensured that communications to our donors were correct and sent on time. Whether it was Homecoming, Commencement, Hampden-Sydney weekend, or even the annual Senior Class Gift party, Donna always went above and beyond her normal duties by helping others on staff with events and projects.  She was the ultimate team player.  She would often stay late to make sure she supported the giving team, especially with our annual Macon Day and end-of-fiscal year campaigns.  She was always willing to lend an ear to brainstorm and idea or just listen to what was going on in your life.  Donna’s positive attitude and constant smile while doing her work made it a joy to work with her.

George Lowry

Professor of Business

Years of Service: 36

George Lowry began his career at Randolph-Macon College in 1984 with the understanding that he would enroll in the PhD program in Business at Virginia Commonwealth University. He completed the program while teaching full-time and continued a successful 36-year career at RMC. George’s longstanding commitment to the Bassett Internship Program and international study/travel, and leading the development of the major in Business, are among his career highlights. He was a versatile teacher and outstanding mentor to countless students, and he was the 2011 recipient of the Thomas Branch Award. George was also an active scholar, authoring or co-authoring nearly 200 papers on topics including finance, the effects of verbal reinforcement, pedagogy, neuroeconomics, and Brexit.

Holly Rison

Senior Associate Director of Financial Aid

Years of Service: 36

Holly helped numerous students and families find affordable solutions to gain a Randolph-Macon education, but it was her expertise at managing the data systems for the financial aid process that quietly touched every student over her long and distinguished service to the College. Holly oversaw the digital transformation of the financial aid process and helped integrate the federal, state and institutional data systems. Managing the constant technology updates and innovations that occurred over the last 36 years is no small task and we were fortunate to have a professional with Holly’s attention to detail and problem-solving skills on the job. Her ability to transition from programming a software solution one minute to helping a family understand a complex federal financial aid regulation the next was remarkable. We were fortunate to have Holly’s faithful service for so many years.

Jerry Mitchell             

Trades Helper

Years of Service: 13

Jerry Mitchell worked at the Physical Plant for 13 years as a Trades Helper prior to retirement in September 2020. In his role, Jerry’s tasks varied from day-to-day and his work with members of the maintenance team was always helpful and timely. He did an excellent job maintaining and cleaning the pool cars as well as assisting with light maintenance throughout the campus community. He took pride in his work and all that he could do to make the campus facilities run smoothly. Jerry never met a stranger and always made time to stop and say hello.  

Mary Neal

Director of Financial Aid

Years of Service: 36

Over Mary’s tenure with the College, the challenges for access and affordability for college students increased each year and Mary’s leadership and efforts were critical as Randolph-Macon achieved enrollment growth and increased student diversity over this time. During her career, Mary oversaw the transformation of the financial aid process from a manual paper process to an online digital process. Mary was able to remain high-touch while implementing the high-tech transformation. She also served the College as an Ombudsman and on the Strategic Planning Committee. Mary’s professionalism has been missed, but not as much as her ever-present smile.

Robin McKinney

Coordinator of Counseling Services

Years of Service: 12

Robin McKinney began her career and great work at Randolph-Macon College in 2007 in the Office of Campus Safety before transitioning to Counseling Services in 2011. Counseling Services was extremely fortunate to have Robin McKinney as our office coordinator for 9 years. She was the first contact that students had with our office and would immediately put them at ease when they called or stopped by to make an appointment. She had a warm and welcoming presence and students were drawn to her often coming in early for their appointments so they could talk to Robin. She was a crucial and integral part of the care that we provide to students and we miss her, but are so excited for this next chapter in her life and wish her all the best.

Tom Dwyer*

Director of Physical Plant

Years of Service: 20

Serving the College with dedication and distinction, Tom Dwyer was the Director of Physical Plant for over two decades. He was well-respected by all of those with whom he worked, always had a calm demeanor, and consistently managed with the best interest of both the College and his staff. He played a major role in ensuring our facilities were always in great shape, responding to our faculty, staff, and student needs, and helping to manage the construction projects on campus. His compassion and genuine commitment to the Physical Plant staff, campus colleagues, students and the overall RMC community was exceptional as he strived to always bring the very best to RMC.

*Recognized posthumously