The Virginia Military Institute board of visitors elected Thomas E. “Teddy” Gottwald as interim board president during a special meeting Wednesday, filling the seat vacated by John Adams, who had resigned the previous week. Gottwald will serve through the end of June, with the board expected to hold its regular election of officers in early May.
Gottwald, a 1983 VMI graduate and Richmond- based business executive, received 10 votes from the 13-member board.
Maj. Gen. Cedric T. Wins, VMI’s outgoing superintendent, urged board members to weigh “character, courage, and commitment” in their decision —qualities he said the school urgently needs in the wake of recent leadership upheaval, which includes his own removal at the hands of the board, and the subsequent public criticism.
“We’ve spent more time talking about the mundane and the trivial, as opposed to the strategic and important,” Wins said, urging the board to shift its focus and help VMI “repair its reputation” and restore confidence among lawmakers, alumni, and the broader public. “It’s going to be up to the next leader of the Institute ... and you all as a board, to get behind that person.”
The vote came after a brief moment of procedural confusion between board members Terry McKnight and Bill Janis, each of whom offered different nominations for the interim post. McKnight, citing a need for steady leadership and familiarity with the board’s ongoing work, nominated acting board president and local citizen Damon Williams to serve through June.
Janis responded with a “substitute motion” nominating Gottwald instead, and later insisted that, as he understood it, the nature of his motion meant it should take precedence in the voting sequence. McKnight questioned the fairness of that approach, noting his motion had been offered first. Ultimately, acting president Williams moved forward with a roll call vote, asking members to name their preferred candidate. Gottwald received 10 votes; Williams received three.
Gottwald stated during the meeting that he did not intend to seek reappointment in May and would focus his brief term on realigning the board and preparing for the arrival of a new superintendent. “I think it’s important that we not lose this time,” he said, emphasizing his intent to work with alumni agencies to help shape the board’s priorities for the fall.
In addition to his role as chairman and CEO of NewMarket Corporation, Gottwald leads the Spirit of VMI PAC, a political group that has pushed back against diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at the Institute and has supported efforts to preserve what it describes as VMI’s traditional values.
In a statement released after the vote, Gottwald said he was “humbled” to be elected and looked forward to working alongside his colleagues in the final months of the academic year.
“The BOV is comprised of a highly qualified and passionate team of volunteers who put the interests of VMI and the commonwealth first,” Gottwald said in the statement. “May is a special month at VMI, and I look forward to congratulating the graduates of the Class of ’25 and seeing the other classes step up into greater leadership roles.
“While the academic year is coming to an end, the BOV has important work that will continue through the summer,” he continued. “With the strategic plan implementation in progress and the search for a new superintendent, we will move forward developing priorities and focus areas for the coming academic year.”
Gottwald joined NewMarket in 1984 and has held numerous positions in its petroleum additives and former plastics businesses. He is the third generation of his family to lead the company.
Appointed to the VMI board of visitors first by former Gov. Ralph Northam and again by Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2022, he has previously served on the board of governors of the VMI Keydet Club and currently sits on the VMI Jackson-Hope Board of Overseers. He holds a chemistry degree from VMI and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He also served in the U.S. Army Reserve during the 1980s. Two of his sons are VMI graduates, from the classes of 2009 and 2014.
The board’s next meeting is scheduled for May 1–3.
