Virginia Tech announced new appointees to the Hokie Ventures Board of Directors on Wednesday afternoon.
Per the school's release: "The board brings together an accomplished group of business executives, entrepreneurs and university leaders whose collective experience will help advance Hokie Ventures' mission of creating new revenue opportunities, pursuing strategic investments, strengthening donor relations and building a modern enterprise positioned to support VT athletics in the rapidly evolving landscape of college sports."
The 10-person organization includes university president Tim Sands, vice president and director of athletics Brian White and senior vice president for advancement Tom Wamsley.
Brad Hobbs and Ted Hanson will serve as chair and vice chair, respectively. The other five independent voting members are David Calhoun, Brian Callaghan, Lynne Doughtie, John Lawson and Horacio Valeiras.
"Establishing our board is an important step in turning the vision for Hokie Ventures into action," White said in the release. "Virginia Tech has tremendous momentum, and this group brings an extraordinary combination of business acumen, leadership experience, strategic thinking and passion for our university. As we look at what it takes to compete at the highest level nationally, we have to be innovative and aggressive in identifying new resources and opportunities while remaining aligned with our mission and values. Hokie Ventures gives us another powerful tool to do that.
"I am grateful to Brad, Ted and every member of this board for their willingness to invest their time, expertise and energy in the future of Virginia Tech athletics. There is tremendous belief in what we can build here, and this board reflects our commitment to surrounding our programs and student-athletes with the resources necessary to pursue championships."
Among the Board of Directors' initial priorities is selecting Hokie Ventures' chief executive officer.
Hobbs was appointed to the Board of Visitors by Governor Glenn Youngkin and served from 2022-24. He was also part of the eight-member search committee for the next football head coach that landed James Franklin.
"Virginia Tech has an incredible opportunity in front of us, and I'm honored to serve as chair of a board that shares a deep commitment to the future of Hokie athletics," Hobbs said. "Our charge is to think boldly, move with urgency and create sustainable new resources that help Virginia Tech compete at the highest level. We have tremendous expertise around this table and an opportunity to turn that experience and passion into meaningful results for our student-athletes, coaches and Hokie Nation."
Hanson is a current Board of Visitors member who spearheaded the Future State Subcommittee of the Athletics Investment Oversight Committee (AIOC), the group that guided the 'Invest to Win' campaign and $229 million funding plan, plus the creation of Hokie Ventures. He was officially approved as the Board of Visitors' representative to Hokie Ventures on Wednesday and will serve a three-year term.
"This is an exceptional group of leaders who understand both the opportunities in front of Virginia Tech and the urgency required to capitalize on them," Hanson said. "When we began assembling this board, we wanted people who have successfully led complex organizations, built businesses, made strategic investments and navigated periods of significant change. Just as importantly, we wanted individuals who believe deeply in Virginia Tech and share a desire to see Hokie athletics compete at the very highest level.
"The landscape around us will continue to change, and standing still is not an option. Hokie Ventures is designed to give Virginia Tech greater capacity to think differently, move decisively and pursue opportunities that can generate sustainable resources for athletics. The caliber of this board should give Hokie Nation great confidence in where we are headed."
Join the Hokie Way Pre-Game Tailgate Before the Sept. 19 VT-Maryland Football Game
The Hokie Way is holding a pre-game tailgate before Virginia Tech football’s game at Maryland on Saturday, Sept. 19, in concert with the Virginia Tech Monogram Club. For $125, Hokie fans can attend a private tailgate a short distance from the stadium and support a good cause.Conveniently located at Maryland’s Kehoe Track and Field Complex (a short walk from SECU Stadium), this private tailgate will offer the ultimate game day experience with fellow Hokies. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation, a charitable partner of The Hokie Way.
Each $125 ticket includes:
- Buffet-style food
- 2 beverage tickets (more available for purchase)
- Music and entertainment
- Premium tailgate access in a prime location
- Hokie hospitality and surprise guests
Spots are limited. To reserve yours now, click here.
Calhoun is the former president, CEO and board member of Boeing. He was previously the senior managing director and head of portfolio operations at The Blackstone Group. He was on the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors from 2022-25, serving as vice rector and the chair of the compliance, audit and risk committee.
Since 2010, Callaghan has owned the Richmond Flying Squirrels, the San Fransisco Giants' Double-A affiliate. In 1995, he founded Apex Systems with Win Sheridan and Jeffrey Veatch. Hanson joined the information technology staffing and services company as chief financial officer in 1998. He's a 1993 graduate from Virginia Tech.
Doughtie is a retired U.S. chairman and the former CEO of KPMG. She served on the search committee that landed Hokies football head coach James Franklin and chaired the search committee that brought in White as athletic director. A 1985 graduate who received the school's Distinguished Achievement Award in 2018, she's a member of Boeing's Board of Directors, served on Tech's Alumni Association Board and was named to Accounting Today's Top 100 Most Influential People.
Lawson is the executive chairman of the W. M. Jordan Company, a construction management and development firm founded in Newport News by his father, Bob, and Bill Jordan. He began his career with the company in 1975 after graduating from Virginia Tech.
He's served on the board of directors for the university's Myers-Lawson School of Construction and was a Board of Visitors member from 2002-10, including rector from 2008-10. The W.M. Jordan Company built the football program's Beamer-Lawson Indoor Practice Facility, named after Hall of Fame head coach Frank Beamer and Lawson's family.
Valeiras is the CEO and partner of Frontier Global Partners. A graduate of Virginia Tech (1980), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1982) and the University of California, Berkeley (1987), he's a former chairman of the Virginia Tech Foundation. He was on the Board of Visitors from 2014-22.
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