VMFA board elects new president

Published April 16, 2013 by Veronica Garabelli

William A. Royall Jr. has been elected president of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’ board of trustees. Royall will assume office on July 1. He replaces Thurston Moore of Richmond-based Hunton & Williams, who has served as VMFA president for the past three years.

Royall is founder and chairman of Richmond-based Royall & Co. ,an information-driven, direct marketing company that provides enrollment management, advancement, and research services for more than 200 colleges and universities. He has been active on several VMFA board task forces for marketing and information technology. Royall is a member of the board of visitors of Virginia Commonwealth University, and previously served on the board of visitors of George Mason University.

Royall and his wife, Pamela Kiecker Royall, are collectors of post-war and contemporary art and have made many significant loans and gifts to VMFA in recent years. They are co-chairmen of the campaign for VCU’s new Institute for Contemporary Art and they own Try-me, a private art and education space in Richmond’s Main Street gallery district. They divide their time between Virginia and New York City.