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Board of Trustees Elects New Chair, Officers
VWC President Scott D. Miller announces new Board leadership, effective July 1
News Release | June 29, 2016
David L. Kaufman of Virginia Beach has been elected Chair of the Board of Trustees at Virginia Wesleyan College, according to Dr. Scott D. Miller, President of the College. His appointment is effective July 1, succeeding Gary D. Bonnewell of Norfolk, whose three-year term ended June 30.
“We are pleased to have some of our community’s most admired and respected leaders guiding our Board,” Dr. Miller said. “We’re especially thankful for the contributions of outgoing Board Chair Gary D. Bonnewell '79, the first VWC graduate in the College’s history to serve in this important role.”
President Miller announced the Virginia Wesleyan Board of Trustees leadership for 2016-2017:
David L. Kaufman, Chair
David Kaufman has served on the Virginia Wesleyan College Board of Trustees for 10 years, most recently as Vice Chair. The Virginia Beach resident is a founding member and Senior Managing Director of the private equity firm, Envest. He previously served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Vacation Store, which he co-founded in 1994 and grew into a leading national distributor of leisure travel before its sale in late 1998. From 1987-1994, he was employed with Cunard Line Ltd., where he started as Staff Vice President, Finance, and rose to Senior Vice President, Business Groups, responsible for leading Cunard’s cruise business operations. He began his career with IBM, serving for seven years in various financial management positions. Kaufman’s grandfather, Charles L. Kaufman, was an early advocate for Virginia Wesleyan and in 1960 wrote a letter of support to then Methodist District Superintendent Joseph Johnston (who later became the College’s first Board Chair and President) urging the church to bring its next Virginia College to the Tidewater area.
Jonathan E. Pruden, Vice Chair
Jon Pruden joined the Virginia Wesleyan College Board of Trustees in 2015. He was raised in Hampton Roads and, as co-owner and President of TASTE, he is the fourth generation of his family to work in the specialty food business. Formerly an attorney with Kaufman & Canoles, Pruden has solid ties to the business and philanthropic communities in the region. He is a Fellow at the Civic Leadership Institute, a member of the Board of Trustees for the Williams School and the Pruden Foundation and Chairman of the Retailer Network. His great grandfather was an early supporter of Virginia Wesleyan, and Pruden Hall on the VWC campus is named after the Pruden family.
William H. Thumel, Jr., Secretary
William (Bill) Thumel has served on the Virginia Wesleyan College Board of Trustees since 2007. He is the current President of Abacus of Hampton Roads in Virginia Beach and former owner of the nationwide employment agency, Abacus Temporary Services (now Abacus Corporation).
Anne B. Shumadine, Treasurer
Anne Shumadine has served as Treasurer of the Virginia Wesleyan College Board of Trustees for four years and has been a Board member since 2003. She also served on the President’s Advisory Council from 1998-2003. Her mother, Helen Ballard Hoffman, was one of the College’s first female Trustees, serving from 1964 until her death in 2010. She is the Chairman and a Founder of Signature Family Wealth Advisors. In addition to Virginia Wesleyan, she is currently a Trustee of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, ACCESS College Foundation, the ODU Educational Foundation, and she is a member of the Wellesley College Business Leadership Council. She is a former Rector of the Board of Visitors of Eastern Virginia Medical School and Old Dominion University. In 2011, she received the Citizen Lawyer award from the William & Mary School of Law and the Barron F. Black Community Builder Award from the Hampton Roads Community Foundation. She was also recognized in 2011 by LEAD Hampton Roads with its Visionary Award for business leaders.
D. Henry Watts H’07, Parliamentarian
D. Henry Watts has been a member of the Virginia Wesleyan College Board of Trustees since 1989, previously serving as Board Chair from 1998-2001. He is a retired Vice Chairman of Norfolk Southern Corporation and resides in Virginia Beach. Watts has been an active member in civic and community affairs. He has served on the board of Virginia Opera and the Norfolk Airport Authority Board of Commissioners. Watts is an active member of Virginia Beach United Methodist Church. The College presented Watts with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 2007.
Gary D. Bonnewell ’79, Immediate Past Chair
In 2013, Gary Bonnewell '79 became the first VWC alumnus in the College's history to be named Chair of Virginia Wesleyan College Board of Trustees. A member of the Board since 1997, he has played an instrumental role in important moments for the College including the opening of the Batten Student Center and both Clarke Hall and Godwin Hall. Bonnewell is First Vice President, Wealth Management for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in Newport News. He is deeply involved in the community, having served as President of the Norfolk Jaycees, President of the D’Art Center, and Chairman of the International Azalea Festival (now the NATO Festival). He is former Chair of the Board of Trustees of Norfolk Collegiate School and is active in his church, Ghent United Methodist.