Beau Dudley to Retire as Executive Director of Alumni Engagement Dudley will continue working at W&L in a half-time capacity as senior advisor to the vice president for University Advancement handling various alumni affairs-related duties.

Office of Communications and Public Affairs
February 15, 2022

Waller T. “Beau” Dudley (’74, ’79L), executive director of Alumni Engagement at Washington and Lee since 2006, will step down from that post effective June 30, 2022. He will continue working at W&L in a half-time capacity as senior advisor to the vice president for University Advancement handling various alumni affairs-related duties.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed leading W&L’s Alumni Engagement team for the past 16 years, and it will continue to prosper under a new leader. The campus office and the alumni boards have been full of talented people,” Dudley said. “I’m energized by my new responsibilities tied to alumni relationships, helping campus colleagues, interacting with emeriti trustees, continuing to administer the Owings Fellowship, and doing whatever I can to help Washington and Lee.”

Throughout his tenure, Dudley has kept the Alumni Association’s focus on helping alumni better connect with each other and with the university. This focus has included efforts to reimagine reunions, strengthen W&L’s alumni chapters, increase virtual offerings, enhance the Distinguished Alumni Awards program, engage with diverse alumni and various affinity groups, and sponsor superior educational travel and alumni colleges.

“Beau has been a terrific steward of our Alumni Association and a valued resource for me since I arrived in 2017. His dedication to W&L, determination to strengthen our alumni engagement efforts, and close relationships with alumni everywhere have been important to our community,” said President William C. Dudley. “We are grateful for Beau’s willingness to stay on in his new role and for his continued alumni relations expertise.”

Tom Jennings, vice president of University Advancement, emphasized that Dudley’s professional background has made a difference, especially the soft skills.“Beau’s leadership of W&L’s Alumni Engagement efforts for the past 16 years capped a 50-year career of volunteer service and work building and sustaining alumni connections. His efforts and results have been extraordinary. I look forward to continuing our work together in his new role at Washington and Lee.”

Dudley graduated from Washington and Lee, majoring in history, and then earned his juris doctorate from W&L’s law school. As a law student, he was president of the Executive Committee. As an alumnus, he has been an active volunteer and leader, serving as president of the Alumni Association (1992-1993) and as a member of the university’s Board of Trustees (1998-2006). Before accepting the call to return to W&L in 2006, Dudley had a distinguished legal career as a business litigation partner with McGuire Woods LLP in its Washington, D.C., area offices.

“Beau has been a stalwart advocate of connecting people, engaging with alumni all over the country and fostering a sense of excitement and dedication to the school,” said Alumni Association president Nelson Bunn ’08. “I know his skill sets and strengths will continue to be used in valuable ways beyond his current role in support of the tremendous liberal arts institution we all love. The Alumni Association’s Board of Directors joins me in thanking Beau for his tremendous service to W&L and its alumni.”

“I have confidence in W&L’s future, and I believe our alumni are without parallel in their character and devotion to the university,” Dudley said. “It has been a privilege to serve W&L; my wife Julie and I will always be tied to this great university.  We are pleased that I can continue in a different and interesting capacity.”