Washington and Lee’s Board of Trustees announced the members of its Presidential Search Committee in an email to the student body on Jan. 30.

The committee consists of trustees, administrators, faculty and a single student. Its members will work alongside the search firm Isaacson, Miller to find a replacement for President Will Dudley.

Dudley will leave the university after the end of the 2025-26 academic year to serve as the president of Claremont McKenna College. He announced his plans to step down in December 2025, according to previous reporting by the Phi.

Trustee John Robinson, ’94, became the committee’s chair in early January, according to previous reporting by the Phi.

“The goal of this process — this committee — is to get engagement from the community,” Robinson said in a previous interview with the Phi. “We really want to hear from all our important stakeholders.”

Robinson said he worked with Rector Wali Bacdayan, ’92, to decide who would serve on the committee. There are 17 members: nine trustees, five professors, two administrators and one student. Plus, three staff members from the university’s administration will provide administrative support.

“Our goal was a group that broadly represents the university’s stakeholders while remaining small enough to work efficiently,” Robinson said in an email to the Phi.

John Beekman Youngblood, ’27, the vice president of the Executive Committee and the committee’s lone student member, said in an email that he’s excited to play a role in selecting the university’s next leader.

“I really cannot wait to get started on the search,” he said. “[I] would love nothing more than a very successful search in which I can contribute meaningfully and represent the students to the best of my ability.”

Youngblood declined to answer specific questions about his role with the committee until he could get a “better idea of the committee’s expectations.”

Classics professor Caleb Dance, a committee member, said he already has experience working with the Board of Trustees as a faculty representative.

“I’ve had many opportunities over the past several years to meet with this community of dedicated alums,” Dance said. “I was frankly honored to receive the invitation … to contribute my perspective.”

But Robinson said he wants to hear from the entire community, not just those included on the committee.

“As we begin developing the presidential profile, we are excited to engage with the W&L community to gather input from students, faculty, staff, alumni and other stakeholders,” he said.

Developing a candidate profile is just the first step, Robinson said. After deciding what the ideal candidate will look like, the committee will lean on Isaacson, Miller’s network of connections to figure out who they might want to fill the role. 

Then, the committee will interview the top candidates and issue a recommendation to the trustees. But the board will make the final decision.

The committee has also launched a website to help keep the community informed about the search process. The site includes details about the committee’s role, search updates and a link where viewers can recommend a candidate for the presidency.

The committee will hold a kickoff meeting at the beginning of February, Robinson said. Students can expect to hear more about how they can get involved soon after.

“Community feedback is central to shaping a profile that reflects our values and mission,” he said.

Editors’ Note: Kate Keeley and Emily Scaff contributed reporting to this story.