Get to Know the Newest Members of the W&L Community – 7/15/26 The following individuals recently joined the Washington and Lee employee workforce.

Communications & Public Affairs
July 15, 2026

Susan Chadwick, Director of Financial Aid

Q. Tell us a little about yourself.
My husband and I recently relocated to Lexington, along with our 17-month-old daughter and 10-year-old Labrador. We previously lived in Cheyenne, Wyoming, so this is quite a change, but we are excited to be here! I was born outside of Toronto, Ontario but mostly grew up outside of Cleveland, and have lived in several states throughout my career (Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, California) and I am excited to be back on the East Coast closer to family.

Q. How do you unwind or have fun? Any hobbies or hidden talents?
My life currently revolves around my daughter (and her nap schedule), although she is becoming more independent by the day! I hope to get back to reading more books (and sleeping regularly) sometime soon. I grew up in an ice hockey family and love to be on or near the ice, and after many years in Wisconsin, I’m a diehard Green Bay football fan — Go Pack!

Q. Anything in particular that you are looking forward to here at W&L?
I have spent my career on college campuses, but my last position was remote (a great benefit at the time to allow me to relocate for my husband). Although it was a wonderful opportunity where I learned a lot, my passion to work directly with students led me to return to a campus environment. The support at W&L has already been apparent in my transition to Lexington, and I’m really excited to get to know the students, staff and faculty in the community.

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Benjamin Hornyak, Visiting Instructor of Sculpture – The College

Q. Tell us a little about yourself.
I am an artist who focuses on overlapping depictions of ugliness and beauty in my explorations of the human form. I am from Youngsville, North Carolina and have claimed my parents’ two dogs as my own — a large basset hound named Mimsy and a Virginia brown dog named Walnut. Currently, when not teaching a few sculptures classes at W&L, I help run a staff of 11 student workers in a public makerspace at Virginia Tech.

Q. How do you unwind or have fun? Any hobbies or hidden talents?
I love making art! When larger-scale projects get a bit tiresome, I still find I can unwind by turning to less intensive avenues of creativity like doodling in my sketchbook or playing around with clay. I also love to read, though I do so pretty irregularly depending on whether I’ve recently gotten sucked into a series or not.

Q. Anything in particular that you are looking forward to here at W&L?
Teaching! I’ve gotten a good bit of experience in the past few years as an adjunct at Virginia Tech, running workshops and tool demos at my day job, and teaching ceramics classes at the local YMCA.  It’s been a blast, and I’m looking forward to introducing more folks to sculpture here at W&L for the next two semesters.

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Madison Neuner, Assistant Coach of Cross Country and Track & Field – Athletics

Q. Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m Madison (they/them)! I’m originally from Liverpool, New York, just outside of Syracuse. I graduated from Northeastern University in 2023 with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and mass communication studies and earned a Master of Arts in magazine, news and digital journalism from Syracuse University in 2024. I was a Division I cross country and track athlete at both schools and had the privilege of representing Syracuse at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials. Before W&L, I coached cross country and track and field and worked in athletics communications at American University for two years. Also, I’m a triplet! My sister Emily went to American and ran on the cross country and track teams and is currently in graduate school at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. My sister Jessica went to Binghamton University and is currently an embryologist at CNY Fertility.

Q. Any favorite local spots or activities you are excited about?
I’m excited to move from a big city to a smaller town with a tighter sense of local community. I also love nature and am excited to check out the Appalachian Trail, Shenandoah National Park and other nearby spots.

Q. How do you unwind or have fun? Any hobbies or hidden talents?
I love coffee and will be trying all the local coffee shops. I also love singing and I’m excited to explore the local music scene.

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Jordan Rice, Administrative Assistant II – University Advancement

Q. Tell us a little about yourself.
I am married to my high school sweetheart and we have two children together, Maddox and Maebree. We spend most of our time camping or on the baseball field.

Q. How do you unwind or have fun? Any hobbies or hidden talents?
We are constantly camping or going to baseball tournaments for my son. I love to party plan and see the joy in someone’s face when a party comes together. I also craft often and love to make gameday buttons to wear to my son’s games!

Q. Anything in particular that you are looking forward to at W&L?
I am excited about being a part of the working community here, especially with the emphasis on family and work/life balance.

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Poorya Shobeiry, Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics and Engineering – The College

Q. Tell us a little about yourself.
I earned a Ph.D. in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the University of Missouri and have taught engineering courses at several universities across the U.S. My interests include engineering education, applied mathematics and control systems. I’m originally from Iran. I enjoy creating educational content and helping students discover the practical side of engineering. I am excited to be returning to W&L and look forward to working with students and colleagues in the coming year.

Q. How do you unwind or have fun? Any hobbies or hidden talents?
Friends often joke that I can turn almost any everyday situation into an engineering problem. Outside of engineering, I enjoy writing, cartooning and learning languages. Before coming to the U.S., I wrote plays and worked as a movie critic in Iran — though I am much less strict with my students than I was with movies. I also enjoy studying Indo-European languages and playing the piano, albeit with considerably more enthusiasm than skill.

Q. What is the best advice anyone has ever given you?
It comes from Hafez, the great Persian poet: “Do not mistreat people of wisdom and insight, for the world is not faithful.”