The Washington and Lee University Board of Trustees announced that John Robinson, ’94, will chair the board’s Presidential Search Committee.

Robinson’s committee will work alongside the executive search firm Isaacson, Miller to find a replacement for President Will Dudley, who will leave the university after the end of the 2025-26 academic year. Dudley announced his plans to step down in December 2025, according to previous reporting by the Phi.

“You don’t want to stay in anything too long,” he said in an interview with the Ring-tum Phi. “It’s good to go out on top.”

Dudley will serve as the president of Claremont McKenna College next year. It’s up to the Presidential Search Committee and Isaacson, Miller to find his replacement.

“You obviously want somebody who understands how special W&L is,” Robinson said. “The [current] administration has done such an amazing job. We just want to continue on that trajectory.”

Robinson has served on the Board of Trustees since 2020 and also heads its Governance Committee, according to the board’s email. He has experience as the chief executive officer of rent-to-own company Aarons, Inc. and lease-to-own company Progressive Leasing, according to the Columns.

Robinson’s colleagues on the committee will include trustees, administrators, faculty and at least one student, he said. He said he expects to have the committee fully formed in about the next week.

“We’re just working on making sure we have a committee that reflects the breadth of our community,” he said.

Robinson said he’ll also get help from Isaacson, Miller founder John Isaacson, who will be personally involved in the process. 

“He’s been in the [executive search] industry for decades and is just super experienced and wise,” Robinson said. “With their institutional background and with John’s personal experience, they are the best team to help us hire the caliber of president that we know we should attract.”

Robinson said the presidential search will be conducted in three phases: definitional, discovery and interview.

The definitional phase involves developing a candidate profile, Robinson said. With guidance from Isaacson, Miller, the committee will use surveys and listening sessions to obtain community input and decide what the ideal candidate will look like.

Then, the committee will turn to the discovery stage. Robinson and his colleagues will lean on Isaacson, Miller’s network of connections to identify who they might want to fill the role.

“We’ll rely heavily on them to help source candidates,” Robinson said. “And then we’ll ultimately hone in on a group of candidates we like.”

Robinson said the group of candidates will then interview for the presidency. The committee will conduct the interviews and issue a recommendation to the trustees, but the board will make the final decision.

Robinson said he doesn’t want to set a specific timeline for the search process.

“We know everyone has a sense of urgency about knowing who the next leader of the university is going to be,” he said. “But the priority is on being thorough, not fast.”

According to the board’s email, it will develop a plan for interim leadership in case it hasn’t found a new president by July 1.

“I just don’t have a sense of whether or not we’ll need an interim,” Robinson said. “But if we do, it’s not a big deal … We have plenty of time to figure that out.”

Robinson said he plans to prioritize transparency throughout the presidential search. The committee will launch a website dedicated to the search in January, where community members can find updates on its progress. Candidates’ identities will remain confidential to protect their privacy, Robinson said.

“The goal of this process — this committee — is to get engagement from the community,” he said. “We really want to hear from all our important stakeholders.”