Gov. McAuliffe Announces Board of Visitors Appointments
June 13, 2016
Gov. Terry McAuliffe has appointed four new members to Old Dominion University's Board of Visitors.
The new members - Bruce Bradley, a former publisher of The Virginian-Pilot; Larry Hill, owner of L.R. Hill Custom Builders in Virginia Beach; Toykea Jones, an executive with Johnson & Johnson, and Kay Kemper, president of Kemper Consulting and a former vice president of Old Dominion - will serve four-year terms on Old Dominion's board, beginning July 1.
All four are graduates of Old Dominion. They were among a series of appointments announced by McAuliffe to the boards of state-supported colleges and universities across Virginia.
The new Board of Visitors members will replace David Bernd, John Biagas, Ronald Ripley and Judith Swystun.
"I want to thank Ron Ripley and David Bernd for their significant contributions to the university as rector and vice rector, as well as John Biagas and Judy Swystun for their energy and devotion to the university," said John R. Broderick, president of Old Dominion. "I look forward to working with Bruce Bradley, Toykea Jones, Larry Hill and Kay Kemper, all of whom have already demonstrated their passion for and commitment to Old Dominion."
Bradley is the retired president of Landmark Publishing Group and former publisher of The Virginian-Pilot. He also held executive positions in newspapers including the Greensboro (N.C.) News & Record, the Roanoke Times and the Ledger-Star in Norfolk.
Bradley is active in several nonprofit organizations, including the Hampton Roads Community Foundation, where he is vice chairman. Bradley received his M.B.A. from Old Dominion and has served as guest lecturer in Old Dominion's Landmark Executive-in-Residence series.
Larry Hill is the owner of L.R. Hill Custom Builders in Virginia Beach.
Hill previously served as a senior nuclear engineer with the U.S. Navy.
He received his bachelor's degree from Old Dominion and is first vice chairman of the Old Dominion Athletic Foundation. The Powhatan Sports Complex was renamed the L.R. Hill Sports Complex in 2012 to recognize the generosity of Hill and his wife, Kathy.
Jones has risen through the executive ranks at Johnson & Johnson, where she has been operations team leader, global supply chain manager and now senior manager of manufacturing excellence for the North America region.
Jones received more than eight scholarships to attend Old Dominion, where she earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry and a master's degree in environmental engineering. To help others follow her path, she created the Toykea Jones Foundation, which awards two scholarships to Old Dominion students in engineering and maritime and supply chain management.
Jones is among the youngest alumni to endow a scholarship at the university.
Kemper was the first female vice president at Old Dominion.
She served as vice president of institutional advancement from 1992 to 1996, overseeing areas including government affairs, publications and public relations. Kemper also was the university's main liaison to the General Assembly and the governor's office for 14 years.
After Kemper left Old Dominion, she founded Kemper Consulting, which specializes in local and state government relations. She was also the first woman to serve as president of the Downtown Norfolk Rotary Club.
Kemper received her master's degree in public administration from Old Dominion.
"Virginia's economic future runs through our colleges and universities, and the leaders I appointed to boards of visitors this year understand the imperative to strengthen our academic institutions and make them more accessible to students from all walks of life," Governor McAuliffe said. "I speak personally with every person I appoint to serve our college and university system, and I ask each one to use his or her knowledge and experience to foster innovation at their institutions, to keep the burden of tuition as low as possible and to emphasize access and completion for every student. Virginia has one of the best higher education systems on the globe and I am confident that these leaders will keep their schools moving forward as we work together to build a new Virginia economy."