New additions
Gov. Glenn Youngkin appointed five new members to the University of Virginia Board of Visitors on June 28. With this slate of selections, 13 members of the BOV are now Youngkin appointees and hold a majority of the board.
The BOV comprises 17 voting members and is responsible for approval of policies, the university’s budget, and long-term planning. Appointees are eligible to serve up to two four-year terms and must be confirmed by the Virginia General Assembly.
According to the Virginia Public Access Project, three of the five appointees—Dan Brody, Marvin Gilliam Jr., and David Webb—made major contributions to Youngkin’s 2021 campaign for governor.
Brody, an Albemarle County resident and president of Health Data Services, graduated from UVA with an economics degree in 1973. He also donated $25,000 to the Youngkin campaign in 2021, according to VPAP. Additionally, he contributed $30,000 dollars to Spirit of Virginia—a Political Action Committee heavily associated with Youngkin—and $25,000 to the governor’s Inaugural Committee.
A graduate of UVA CLAS ’82, Webb now lives in Virginia Beach and is the vice chairman of commercial real estate giant CBRE’s Capital Markets Group. VPAP data indicates that Webb contributed $84,000 to the Youngkin campaign, $25,000 to Spirit of Virginia, and $400 to Youngkin’s Inaugural Committee.
A former coal mining executive, Gilliam is a returning face to the BOV, having previously served on the Board from 2010 to 2014. Public campaign donation records indicate that Gilliam gave $120,000 to Youngkin’s 2021 campaign, the largest contribution of those appointed this year. Gilliam has an extensive record of campaign donations to Republicans across Virginia, including $150,000 to the Spirit of Virginia PAC and $50,000 to Youngkin’s Inaugural Committee.
The two other appointees, Dr. David Okonkwo and Porter Wilkinson, do not appear to have donated to Youngkin based on information from VPAP. Okonkwo currently serves as a professor of neurosurgery at the University of Pittsburgh, while Wilkinson is the counselor and chief of staff for the Smithsonian Board of Regents.
Drawing connections
Local artists from the Blue Ridge Juvenile Detention Center and the Starr Hill Pathways program got the opportunity
to show off their artwork in student commissions for the Equity Center at the University of Virginia. The commissions were highlighted at the annual Starr Hill Pathways Student Expo on June 28 at John Paul Jones Arena.
The art installations are part of a collaboration between the Equity Center, the Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative, the Charlottesville Mural Project, and BRJDC intended to center the voices of local youth in each piece.
For their project, creatives from BRJDC made three fabric murals measuring the same size as the detention center doors. The fabric murals are on display at the Equity Center’s office on the Downtown Mall at 201 W. Main St.
The Starr Hill Pathways mural, created by students in the Creative Arts pathway of the program, highlights local youth’s interpretation of diversity. The mural, which features the word “diversity” in bright colors amid blossoming roots, is also located in the Equity Center.
Crash into me
Former Dave Matthews Band violinist Boyd Tinsley was charged with Driving Under the Influence on June 24 in Albemarle County. Neither driver was injured as a result of the two-vehicle crash, but Albemarle County Police arrested Tinsley at the scene on suspicion of DUI. Tinsley is out on bond but is currently dealing with other legal issues surrounding a potential breach of settlement connected to the sexual assault allegations that prompted him to leave DMB in 2018. Tinsley’s arrest is not expected to have any impact on, let alone ruin, DMB’s current tour.
Change of pace
As of July 1, Virginia motorists are subject to new laws passed by the General Assembly, impacting uninsured motorists, farm use vehicles, disabled parking placards, and owners of manufactured homes. Drivers without insurance can no longer pay an uninsured vehicle fee and are now required to attain coverage at or exceeding Virginia’s liability limits. Other changes include the replacement of informal farm use placards with official Department of Motor Vehicles-issued plates, the elimination of the fee for disabled parking placards, and a new process for proof of ownership transfer for manufactured homes. For more information on these changes, visit dmv.virginia.gov.
Higher power
Former Cavalier Bridget Williams soared to new heights at the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Trials on June 30, winning the women’s pole vaulting final. Williams, née Guy, graduated from the University of Virginia in 2019 and was thrice named an All-American during her time in Charlottesville. Williams will represent Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics later this month.