The VMI Alumni Association

We’ve reached halftime for Compete to Win! Check out how much each team has raised toward their goal. Haven’t made your gift yet? Don’t wait until the final buzzer. Give now! Not sure where to give? The Athletic Director’s Discretionary Fund supports the greatest needs within the VMI athletics program. If this fund reaches its goal of $25,000, VMI’s director of intercollegiate athletics will spend 24 hours living in barracks as a cadet! https://lnkd.in/e7rwNgU6

Compete to Win 2025 has officially begun! Help us support VMI athletics. This effort focuses on supporting the operating budget of each VMI team to help the Keydets perform their best. Each VMI athletic team has its own goal to help with its most important needs, such as uniforms, travel, nutrition, and equipment. Your support will directly impact the cadet-athlete experience and the team of your choice. Make your gift now! https://lnkd.in/e7rwNgU6

Get ready—Compete to Win is almost here! This is a chance for you to support the operating budgets for each of VMI’s NCAA teams. Between March 25–27, choose your team and help ensure VMI’s athletic programs continue to provide a positive cadet-athlete experience. Plus, as a special incentive, Jamaal Walton ’07, VMI director of intercollegiate athletics, will spend 24 hours in barracks living like a cadet if the Athletic Director’s Discretionary Fund reaches its goal of $25,000! Let’s go, Keydets! https://lnkd.in/eZ2G67Ep

“I just love VMI. Every event that I’m involved in fills my heart. It sounds so cheesy, but it’s so much fun to see people come back and enjoy their time at VMI.” That’s how Abby (Dawson) Waterbury ’14 describes her commitment to the Institute—a commitment that began during her cadetship and was furthered immediately after graduation when she began getting involved with alumni chapter events. Now, less than 11 years out from graduation, Waterbury sees VMI as foundational to her personal and professional success—and a vital option in the changing landscape of American higher education.

Congratulations to U.S. Navy Lt. Cmdr. Benjamin Field ’15 and U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Mike Jacobs ’16, who were both recently selected as part of the Olmsted Scholar class of 2026. They are two of only 18 officers selected as the next class of Olmsted Scholars. This is the first time in history two VMI graduates have been selected as Olmsted Scholars in a single year. ? Field and Jacobs are the sixth and seventh graduates of VMI, respectively, to be selected as Olmsted Scholars since the program began in 1960. Their selection is indicative of their tremendous potential for senior leadership in the Navy and Marine Corps. Their overseas tours of duty as scholars will afford each the opportunity to become fluent in a foreign language, receive a fully funded master’s degree at a foreign university, and gain invaluable perspectives that will shape him into a more effective senior leader and strategic asset to the Joint Force. ? Congratulations to these alumni on their achievements! Rah Virginia Mil!

Compete to Win is back! From March 25–27, make a gift in support of VMI Athletics. Compete to Win gifts directly enhance each VMI athletic program’s operating budget. Last year, more than 600 generous donors stepped up in support of VMI’s cadet-athletes. Can we top those numbers in 2025? Keep an eye out for more information on how each team will benefit from your support. See you soon, Keydets!

Robert G. Parkinson, Ph.D., award-winning historian of the American Revolution and author of “Heart of American Darkness: Bewilderment and Horror on the Early Frontier,” captivated his audience in Moody Hall Feb. 19 as he shared the narrative and adventures of the real-life characters in his book. https://lnkd.in/errsd2j4

Mattie Quesenberry Smith, Ph.D., VMI Department of English, Rhetoric, and Humanistic Studies instructor, and Col. Shannon Eskam, assistant superintendent for strategic enrollment management/director of financial aid, have been named members of the All-Southern Conference Faculty and Staff Team for the 2024–25 academic year. https://lnkd.in/e5DAud8S

Congratulations to retired U.S. Army Col. Michael Obadal ’96, who is nominated to serve as Army undersecretary. If confirmed, Obadal would become the chief management officer of the Army and the force’s No. 2 civilian official. ? Pictured above attending the Obadal’s retirement ceremony in October 2022 are (from left) Maj. Gen. Tom Drew; Brig. Gen. Clair Gill; Obadal; retired Maj. Gen. Clay Hutmacher; Ryan McCarthy ’96, former secretary of the U.S. Army; and Lt. Gen. Jon Braga.

In this Turnouts, see photos from the VMI Legislative Reception held in Richmond recently, meet an alumna whose affinity for VMI has impacted both her personal and professional life, and learn how a 2003 alum began competitive skiing in his 40s with his family.