Randolph-Macon College President Robert R. Lindgren is pleased to announce six additions to the College’s Board of Trustees.

J. Haywood Blakemore IV ’71 is a newly elected trustee, while Dr. Yvonne W. Brandon ’76, L. Preston Bryant, Jr. ’86, and R. Douglas White ’80 have each been re-elected for additional terms. Jennifer Fitch Folsom ’97, the President of the Society of Alumni, and Annette Carr Paul ’80, the Chair of the Board of Associates, also join as ex-officio members. All six members will be sworn in at the October 21 Board of Trustees meeting.

J. Haywood Blakemore IV ‘71

Blakemore graduated from Randolph-Macon with a bachelor’s in political science before earning an M.A. in government from the College of William & Mary and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.

He spent most of the last 40 years living and working abroad in locations across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Following law school, he joined the law firm of White & Case LLP, where he practiced in Washington, New York, Jakarta, Tokyo, Singapore, and Paris. In 2008, he left the firm to help establish the Qatar Investment Authority, the sovereign wealth fund of Qatar, where he led the legal investment team for the next 14 years. He retired earlier this year. Blakemore has served as both the Chair of the Board of the Singapore American School and Vice Chair of the Board of the American School of Paris.

Dr. Yvonne W. Brandon ‘76

Brandon graduated from Randolph-Macon with a bachelor’s in biology before earning a master’s from Virginia State University and a doctoral degree from Nova University.

Brandon served Richmond Public Schools for over 30 years, joining the faculty in 1977 and eventually rising to RPS Superintendent before her retirement. She now serves as an educational consultant, providing services within the Commonwealth and across the nation.

A sought-after thought leader, she has provided insight to the Joint House Staff Committee on the Reauthorization of No Child Left Behind, as well as testimony to the United States Senate Committee on Health Education, Labor and Pension.

Brandon is engaged in her community, serving on the boards of numerous education, arts, and health organizations. She previously served on RMC’s Board of Trustees from 2010-2022.

L. Preston Bryant, Jr. ‘86

Bryant graduated from Randolph-Macon with a bachelor’s in English before earning a master’s in humanities from the University of Richmond and a master’s in modern British literature from Royal Holloway College, University of London.

In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed Bryant to serve as chairman of the National Capital Planning Commission, the central planning agency for all federal lands and buildings in Washington, D.C., a position he held until 2018. Previously, Bryant had served as Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources in the cabinet of Governor Tim Kaine from 2006-2010, where he oversaw the state’s six environmental, recreational, wildlife, and historic resource agencies.

Starting in 1996 and prior to his work as Secretary of Natural Resources, Bryant represented Lynchburg and Amherst County in the Virginia House of Delegates while serving as Vice President and Partner at Hurt & Proffitt, Inc., a Lynchburg-based civil engineering, surveying, and planning firm.

Currently, Bryant is a Senior Vice President at McGuireWoods Consulting, LLC, an international public affairs firm based in Richmond, Virginia, where he works in the firm’s infrastructure and economic development group and advises clients on environmental, energy, and other regulatory affairs matters.

He previously served on RMC’s Board of Trustees from 2010-2022.

R. Douglas White ‘80

White graduated from Randolph-Macon with a bachelor’s in physics before earning both a bachelor’s and master’s in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

He began his professional life with McKinsey & Company, a pre-eminent strategic management consulting firm. He also has served as a senior executive with Capital One and worked as chief executive officer and chief operations officer at several small and mid-sized companies in diverse fields.

White and his wife, Polly, are owners of Gather, a firm that provides private offices, conference rooms, and workspace in Richmond and Hampton Roads.

White previously served on RMC’s Board of Trustees from 2001-2013. He was re-elected to the Board in 2014 and served until 2022 before resigning to accept the role of RMC’s Interim Vice President for Enrollment, a role in which he served through April of 2023.

Jennifer Fitch Folsom ‘97

Folsom graduated from Randolph-Macon with a bachelor’s in business and economics before earning an MBA from Georgetown University.

She currently serves as the Vice President of Growth at ICF, a global management consulting firm. She previously served as the Vice President of Client Delivery at RIVA Solutions, Inc. and Chief of Corporate Development for Summit Consulting.

Prior to Summit, Folsom was the founder of Radius Partners and a partner at Momentum Resources. She began her career as an equities trader at Legg Mason Wood Walker.

Folsom authored Ringmaster: Work, Life, and Keeping It All Together (Lulu Press, 2020) and is a regular contributor to ForbesWomen, MSNBC’s Know Your Value Platform for Professional Women, and Govloop.com, a Washington, D.C. government contracting media channel.

Annette Carr Paul ‘80

Paul attended Randolph-Macon College from 1976-1978 before transferring to Virginia Commonwealth University and earning a bachelor’s in pharmacy.

She currently serves as the Director of Pharmacy Services in the Analytics Division of Prime Therapeutics, formerly Magellan Health, a pharmacy benefit management company. She also serves as the head of the company’s Retrospective Drug Utilization Review program, where she works with both government and commercial clients.

Previously, Paul was the Chief Pharmacist for HealthSouth Medical Center, where she was the Director of Pharmacy for acute care.