Feature Stories Campus Events All Stories

Get to Know the Newest Members of the W&L Community – 9/12/23 The following individuals recently joined the Washington and Lee employee workforce.

Communications & Public Affairs
September 12, 2023

Maureen Edobor ’17L, Assistant Professor of Law – The Law School

edobor1 Get to Know the Newest Members of the W&L Community - 9/12/23Maureen Edobor, assistant professor of law

Q. Any favorite regional spots or activities you are excited about?
Napa Thai, Natural Bridge and the footbridge between the law school and the undergraduate campus.

Q. How do you unwind or have fun? Any hobbies or hidden talents?
I enjoy yoga, crossword puzzles and reading fiction.

Q. Best advice anyone has ever given you?
“Do the thing that scares you the most” – Huma Abedin

Kate Grover, Visiting Assistant Professor of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies – The College

Kate-Grover-600x400 Get to Know the Newest Members of the W&L Community - 9/12/23Kate Grover, visiting assistant professor of women’s, gender, and sexuality studies

Q. Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m a teacher and writer whose research examines the intersections of gender, popular music and American culture. I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona but my work and school brought me to a bunch of places across the U.S. I’ve lived in Michigan, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Louisiana. I received my Ph.D. in American Studies with a concentration in Women’s and Gender Studies from the University of Texas at Austin in December 2022. Most recently, I moved to Washington, D.C. to complete a predoctoral fellowship with the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

Q. How do you unwind or have fun? Any hobbies or hidden talents?
I love to draw, paint, craft, play music and tap into my creative side whenever I can. I have a big collection of CDs, cassette tapes and vinyl records, and there’s nothing better than putting an album on, cooking a good meal and spending time with my people.

Q. Any favorite regional spots or activities you are excited about?
I’m an avid thrifter, so I’m very excited to check out the area’s vintage stores and antique malls. I’m also looking forward to hiking and enjoying the outdoors, especially in the fall!

Julie Schwartz, Legal Writing Professor of Practice – The Law School

JSchwartz Get to Know the Newest Members of the W&L Community - 9/12/23Julie Schwartz, professor of practice

Q. Tell us a little about yourself.
I practiced law for nine years as a litigator in New York and Atlanta, before teaching at the Emory Law School for the last 21 years. I earned a B.A. from Princeton University and a J.D. from the University of Michigan. I am married and I have two daughters who are ages 23 and 21.

Q. How do you unwind or have fun? Any hobbies or hidden talents?
I like to take long walks with my dog. I was a tennis player in college and haven’t played for a while, but I’d like to start playing again. I spend many weekends watching my daughters compete – one is a soccer player and the other is an equestrian.

William Tolley, Visiting Assistant Professor of Computer Science – The College

WTolley Get to Know the Newest Members of the W&L Community - 9/12/23William Tolley, visiting assistant professor of computer science

Q. Tell us a little about yourself.
I’m from East Tennessee and didn’t have access to many educational opportunities until I went to college. I attended Berea College, a small liberal arts college in Kentucky, and it dramatically changed my worldview and provided opportunities I never could have imagined. Since then, I have studied at the University of New Mexico, the University of California, Berkeley and Arizona State University. I married my middle school sweetheart, and we were blessed with a lovely baby girl in October 2020.

Q. How do you unwind or have fun? Any hobbies or hidden talents?
I love spending time with my daughter, reading her books, playing with legos and watching her experience things for the first time. We also watch football and hockey together, and she gets excited when I get excited – our teams are the Yellows (Nashville Predators) and the Oranges (University of Tennessee). I’m a polyglot and love studying new languages. I have formally studied Greek, Latin and German since high school, Chinese and Japanese in college, Arabic as a graduate student and many others in my free time, albeit less formally. I play guitar and violin and enjoy bluegrass, 90’s neotraditional country and heavy metal.

Q. Any favorite regional spots or activities you are excited about?
I’m excited to be close to home and family again. I love football and plan on catching a few W&L games. I have a nephew who plays for VMI, so I’ll also attend a few of those games. I would also like to catch a game in Knoxville if I can make time for it. I plan to take a few trips to George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, which have several of my favorite trails and camping spots – I especially enjoy Crabtree Falls Trail.