Alumni
Our Distinguished Alumni Board is active in representing the department, raising funds, and mentoring students.
We invite you to explore ways to get involved.
Share Your Expertise
We invite you to attend English Career Connections, our career and leadership weekend in the spring. This event connects alumni with students through a series of resume reviews, mock interviews, and workshops on professionalism. We want you to share your knowledge and experience with our students.
If your organization would be interested in participating in career fairs, please email Ingrid Johnson.
We encourage students to engage in hands-on learning that supports course content. Many students are interested in participating in an internship in a business or community organization and you may be able to help them locate such an opportunity. You may also know of research or service learning projects that would support classwork. Please contact Netta Baker if you can help in this way.
We welcome alumni to speak with students and faculty about their work. To encourage students to take action in the world around them, we host presentations to inform them on a range of topics, from globalization to community impact, and to showcase a variety of industries. If you wish to volunteer to speak to a class or provide a lecture, please contact the department chair, Rebecca Weaver-Hightower.
Share Your Wealth
Our students benefit from the support of alumni and friends who invest in expanding opportunities. Gifts are made in two categories — annual and major — and include endowed scholarships, a program excellence endowed fund, and an endowed lecture.
Annual gifts of any size demonstrate your recognition of the value of your degree and your desire to see the program thrive. Please designate your annual gifts to the Department of English.
Alumni Spotlight
Clay Delk, current president of the Distinguished Alumni Board shares how being a Virginia Tech English major helped him in his career. Read more
Distinguished Alumni Board
The department’s Distinguished Alumni Board represents a diverse group of alumni. Formed in 2003, the board plays an active role in representing the department, raising funds, enhancing visibility, developing connections, and mentoring students. Among their projects is the annual English Career Connections weekend. Board members visit campus to work one-on-one with students reviewing their resumes and conducting mock interviews. The members also established the Distinguished Alumni Board Scholarship to support current students.
Board members have successful careers in fields ranging from law to teaching, financial services, nonprofit management, development, creative writing, editing, technical writing, and media services.
Distinguished Alumni Board Members
John Archer, BA ’08, Regional Administrator, Richmond, Virginia
Larry Bechtel, MA ’85, Sculptor, Blacksburg, Virginia
Laurel Beedon, PhD ’74, English Education, Senior Analyst for the Education, Workforce, and Income Security Division of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (retired), Arlington, Virginia
Patsy Brown, BA ’74, Proposal Manager, Northrop Grumman, Centreville, Virginia
Jennifer Butlin, BA ’92, Executive Director, Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, Reston, Virginia Nursing Administration
Hannah Carlson, BA ’08, Area Director, ExploreLearning, Charlottesville, Virginia
Kathleen Cooperstein, BA ’09, Trial Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC
Shayla Corprew, BA ’07, Governance, Risk, Compliance and Policy Technical Communicator, Moseley, VA
Clay Delk, BA ’02, MA ’03, Principal Content Designer, Lattice, Raleigh, North Carolina
Lisa Derx, BA ’87, Vice President, Government Relations, Best Buddies, Dayton, Maryland
Gina Desiderio Edmison, MA ’04, Director of Marketing and Communications, Healthy Teen Network, Ellicott City, Maryland
Maggie DiGuardo, BA ’04, Molecular Genetics, Fellow Physician, Rochester, Minnesota
Michael Germana, MA ’00, English Professor, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia
Richard Glancy, BA ’66, Superintendent of Caroline County Schools (retired), Warsaw, Virginia
Tim Larson, BA ’90, Senior Networking Engineer, Northrop Grumman, Ashburn, Virginia
Katherine Lynde, BA ’95, MA ’97, Teacher, Blacksburg High School, Blacksburg, Virginia
Marie Paretti, MA ’90, Associate Professor of Engineering Education, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
Sandy Seay, BA ’66, Chief Executive Officer, Seay Management Consultants, Inc., Orlando, Florida
Chrystal Starling, MS ’03, Educator, Urban Dove, Stamford, Connecticut
Sandra (Sandy) Swanson Hagman, BA ’71, Learning Development Specialist (retired), Blacksburg, Virginia
Josh Thompson, MA ’13, Ph.D. student, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia
Mimi Walters, MA ’85, Basketball Coach, The Bryn Mawr School, Baltimore, Maryland
L. Lamar Wilson, MFA ’10, Assistant Professor, Florida State University, Marianna, Florida
Related Links
If you wish to make a major gift, please contact Holly Kobia, our assistant dean for advancement, by emailing her or calling her at 540-231-8014.