Meet a Colleague: Laura Hamilton Laura Hamilton is the director of Law School advancement.

W&L News Office
May 28, 2025

Q. How long have you worked at W&L?
I have been working at W&L since November 2024.

Q. What do you like most about working at W&L? 
I love the sense of community on this campus. I’ve experienced it as a parent and now I get to experience it from the staff side of the table.

Q. Where is your favorite location on the W&L campus? 
Sydney Lewis Hall, of course. But in a close tie for second are: Wilson Field Footbridge, Woods Creek Trail (which I’ve been coming to walk on since 2015), Watt Field and Wilson Field (I love W&L Lacrosse!).

Q. Where did you grow up? 
I was born in East Tennessee (the nuclear city of Oak Ridge) but grew up in Western Nebraska (Alliance) in a town of  less than 10,000. My dad was a city manager, so we moved around some as city councils changed. I was the only Nebraskan at William and Mary when I went there as an undergrad.

Q. What advice do you have for students? 
Dig in. This community is warm and open-armed. Embrace the extraordinary people you meet here — some for a short time, some for a lifetime.

Q. What is the most adventurous thing that you have ever done? 
Between undergrad (W&M) and graduate school (Georgetown), I was a sports journalist for a weekly publication in Virginia. I did a feature story on the Front Royal Swiftwater Rescue Team and was enrolled in their training exercises for several days. As part of their training, they strapped me into a harness and allowed me to be sucked into the hydraulic on one of the low water dams on the Shenandoah River. I was pulled out quickly, but the force of the water was something I will never forget.

Q. What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not working? 
Being adventurous. I am a private pilot, so I love to fly small planes. I love being with my family and we’re big winter sports people — cross country and alpine skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing. I’m also a high school lacrosse official, so I enjoy reffing games.

Q. If you could live anywhere, where would you build your dream home? 
Right here, on the Maury River.

Q. What book are you reading now? 
Now that I’m spending so much time with lawyers, I just finished Scott Turow’s “Presumed Guilty,” which is a great litigation novel. I’m currently reading “All the Colors of the Dark” by Chris Whitaker, which is not at all a light read, but a beautiful story.

Q. What music are you listening to these days? 
I love bluegrass. Love Canon (shout out to Jessie Harper) is a perennial favorite and I’m excited to use our Lime Kiln season tickets.

Q. What is your favorite film (movie) of all time? 
“The Princess Bride.”

Q. What is the website you visit most often and why? 
The New York Times. I love to spend the first part of my morning getting a read and doing all the puzzles — wordle, the mini, connections.

Q. If they made a movie about your life, who would play you?
I’d like to say Jodie Foster, but I’m not sure she’s silly enough.

Q. Which historical figure do you most identify with and why? 
So many of them. I love the persistence and drive of Eleanor Roosevelt. I am a huge fan of Robert E. Lee’s devotion to honor and a moral compass. I am inspired by Clara Barton’s vision and ability to innovate in chaos.

Q. If you could have coffee with one person, who would it be and why? 
Keith Richards. His stories have to be so eclectic.

Q. What is your desert island food? 
Ceviche

Q. Anything else you’d like to share? 
This is such an extraordinary community. I am so glad to be a part of it.