Virginia Tech announces new foundation CEO

Former Supreme Court of Virginia justice Elizabeth McClanahan to succeed John Dooley

Published December 22, 2020 by Sydney Lake

Elizabeth McClanahan. Photo courtesy Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech announced Monday that Elizabeth McClanahan, a former Supreme Court of Virginia justice, has been named CEO of the Virginia Tech Foundation, which manages the university’s endowment. She succeeds John Dooley, who announced his retirement in August.

“The foundation is deeply involved in realizing the university’s mission and vision,” Virginia Tech President Tim Sands said in a statement. “Elizabeth brings a wealth of experiences in law, leadership and higher education, and I look forward to working closely with her on our key strategic initiatives and partnerships.”

Effective June 1, 2021, McClanahan will focus on the university’s endowment, real estate portfolio and economic development. The former Appalachian School of Law dean has served as an adjunct finance professor and senior adviser to the dean of Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business since September 2019.

“Virginia Tech is now a global university and world leader in higher education,” McClanahan said in a statement. “Joining the foundation is the opportunity of a lifetime — especially at a time when Tech’s energy, innovation and trajectory are unmatched.”

McClanahan also previously served as the Williamson fellow at William & Mary Law School and taught at the Wake Forest University School of Business and Accountancy. She has chaired the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and has served on the board of visitors for William & Mary as vice rector, and was also on the board of trustees for Emory & Henry College.

“She really knows well the public higher education community in Virginia,” Dooley said in a statement. “She’s been in positions where she has seen the value that higher education brings to the economic vitality of the state, and I’m sure that will be of benefit as she assumes this role.”

McClanahan earned her bachelor’s degree from William & Mary and her law degree from the University of Dayton School of Law. She has served as a shareholder and director at Penn, Stuart & Eskridge; chief deputy attorney general for Virginia; and a Virginia Court of Appeals judge.