W&L Williams School Welcomes Five Additions to its Board of Advisors New members will serve a six-year term supporting Dean Rob Straughan and the school’s faculty members.
The Washington and Lee University Williams School of Commerce, Economics and Politics has welcomed five new members to its Board of Advisors.
The Board of Advisors consists of Washington and Lee alumni and parents who serve a six-year term advising Williams School Dean Rob Straughan and faculty on all areas of the school’s curriculum and programs. The board is comprised of industry leaders from across the world, reflecting the school’s four departments: accounting and finance, business, economics, and politics.
The new members of the Williams School Board of Advisors include Thomas “T.” Blair ’99, Femi Kusimo ’08, Tolulope “Tolu” Olubunmi ’02, Katie Harris Storer ’10, and Morgan Hill ’07. Chris Cerone ’90 and Danielle Maurer ’98 completed their appointments and have rolled off the board, bringing the total number of advisors to 19 individuals.
Thomas “T” Blair ’99THOMAS “T.” BLAIR ‘99
Blair currently serves as managing director and global head of commodity sales and structured origination, as well as co-head of global markets investable indices distribution at Bank of America. He received bachelor’s degrees in economics and history from W&L and earned a master of business administration from the New York University Stern School of Business.
“As I have a degree both from the Williams School (Economics) and the College (History), I understand how unique W&L is in combining a rigorous pre-professional curriculum set within a liberal arts college,” said Blair. “Since graduating from W&L, I have been fortunate to serve in various roles across global markets which provides me with hands-on experience on the applicability of the lessons learned on campus. In turn, I am able to use that experience to assist Dean Straughan in guiding the Williams School and our students to be best prepared for the ever-changing world ahead of us.”
Femi Kusimo ’08FEMI KUSIMO ‘08
Kusimo is the global chief of staff and chief administrative officer of the FX, fixed income and equities business at Bank of New York Mellon. In this role, he is responsible for budgeting, strategy and advising the global management team on special projects. Femi was a varsity athlete at W&L, participating on the varsity basketball team while earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
During his time on the Board, Kusimo hopes to help “create an environment that mimics what students will experience when they begin working post-graduation and to help expose students to the variety of career paths they can pursue within the financial services industry.”
Tolulope “Tolu” Olubunmi ’02TOLULOPE “TOLU” OLUBUNMI ‘02
Olubunmi is a chemical engineer turned political strategist and social entrepreneur. Today, she is the founder and CEO of the social impact venture Lions Write. Additionally, Olubunmi has established and led numerous non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and campaigns focused on education, migration, economic inclusion, sustainability, and climate change. She sits on the board of directors of the Anti-Defamation League and USA for IOM (UN Migration Agency), and she served on the World Economic Forum’s Migration Council. In 2015, the World Economic Migration Council named her one of 15 Women Changing the World and an Outstanding Woman Entrepreneur. Olubunmi earned a bachelor of science in chemistry-engineering from W&L.
“I strongly believe that the best possible outcome of a well-educated mind is a liberated imagination – a mind that does not simply regurgitate knowledge but rather builds on what is known to make the previously unimaginable inevitable,” said Olubunmi. “Having been exposed from an early age to a quality education and then building on that throughout my time at W&L, I was able to turn a crisis in my life into an opportunity to innovate around issues affecting migrants, refugees and displaced people. I was taught and believed that anything was possible long before life had the chance to offer evidence to the contrary. My perspective, shaped by my work, and many identifiers – engineer, activist, woman, African, CEO, black, immigrant – make me unique amongst my peers, and my story, a necessary example of what is possible.”
Katie Harris Storer ’10KATIE HARRIS STORER ‘10
Storer is a principal investor at Blackstone focused on consumer growth equity investments. Additionally, she serves as a member of the Board of Directors at Spanx and Walker Edison. At W&L, Storer earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and competed on the varsity tennis team. She went on to earn a master of business administration from Harvard University.
“My Williams School education has benefited me in myriad ways throughout my career – from the practical learnings to the alumni network, faculty relationships and more,” said Storer. “Being a part of the board is an opportunity to remain closely connected with the university and the Williams School while hopefully playing a small role in giving back to the school that has given me so much.”
Morgan Hill ’07MORGAN HILL ‘07
Hill is an attorney and capital markets partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in London. Prior to that, she spent nearly four years as an associate in the capital markets group at Shearman & Sterling LLP. Hill holds a bachelor’s degree in American history from W&L, and she received a master’s degree in Italian language and culture from Middlebury College and a juris doctor degree from Harvard Law School.
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