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W&L Appoints New Human Resources Executive Director

Washington and Lee University announced that its new executive director of human resources is Amy Diamond Barnes. She will join the University on April 1.

Barnes joins W&L from Colgate University, Hamilton, N.Y., where she has served as the associate vice president for human resources for the past 14 years. Before that, she was the director of human resources at New England College for five years. She has spent her entire career in academic human resources, also working at Franklin Pierce College, Vassar College, Barnard College and George Washington University Medical Center.

She belongs to a number of advisory groups and boards, including, among others, the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources, the Higher Education Recruitment Consortium and TIAA-CREF’s Retiree Health Care Task Force.

“Her arrival comes at a perfect time for us, and her background is a perfect match as well. As outlined in our strategic plan, we seek a supportive and professional work environment for all faculty and staff, and she will help us meet that goal,” said President Ken Ruscio. “Kim and I look forward to welcoming Amy and her family to the W&L community.”

“I am very excited about coming to work at such a prestigious and beautiful institution with such talented and dedicated faculty and staff,” said Barnes. “To me, this position represents a great opportunity to work with an administration that recognizes the importance of its Human Resources and the critical importance of staff to the mission of the university.” She added, “This is a great time for Washington and Lee and I look forward to working in support of President Ruscio’s vision for its future.”

Barnes holds a B.A. in French from William Smith College and is certified as a senior professional in human resources (SPHR). She and her husband, Davis, a professional chef, have a son, Jared, a second-year law student at Tulane University, and a daughter, Katie Bishop, who lives with her family at Fort Eustis in Newport News, Va.

“Ms. Barnes’ technical and interpersonal skills, along with her knowledge of small colleges and their operations, are an ideal fit for W&L,” said Steve McAllister, vice president of finance and university treasurer, who chaired the search committee. “We are very fortunate to have found an individual with the breadth and depth of experience that she brings, and no search could have yielded a more fitting candidate.”