W&L Welcomes New Trustees Josephine Covington ’96, P’24 and Jack Huffard ’90, P’28

Office of Communications
October 25, 2024

Josephine S. Covington '96, P'24 and John C. "Jack" Huffard Jr. '90, P'28 joined the Washington and Lee University Board of Trustees on Oct. 25, at the board's fall meeting in Lexington.

Josephine Covington '96, P'24 graduated from W&L magna cum laude with a B.A. in biology. In 1996, she began her career as a high school AP biology teacher and varsity cross country and track coach. She taught in several schools across the country including Chatham Hall in Chatham, Virginia; The Wooster School in Danbury, Connecticut; and Hutchison School in Memphis, Tennessee.

As a student, Covington was a member of the cross country and track teams, serving as captain for both teams during her senior year. She qualified for eight NCAA national championships; was a four-time All-American; an Academic All-American; and became the first female at W&L to earn All-American honors in two sports. She was inducted into the W&L Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007. During her time on campus, Covington was also a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority; served as head resident adviser for Gaines Hall; and was a member of ODK, serving as the first female president of the Alpha Circle.

As an alumna, Covington has supported the university in a variety of volunteer roles: co-chair of her class's 25th reunion; member of the Annual Fund Council; member of the Parents Leadership Council Steering Committee; member of the Living Lives of Consequence Campaign Council; and member of W&L's Dallas Alumni Chapter. Notably, as the first female chair of the W&L Annual Fund (2022-2024), Covington helped the Annual Fund exceed its goal and raise $10,293,015 (FY23) and $10,431,771 (FY24), respectively, to support all areas of the university's strategic plan to foster a leading liberal arts and legal education. Last fiscal year's fundraising figure marked the largest Annual Fund amount in five years and the fourth-highest total in W&L history.

She and her husband, Robert '97, live in Dallas and are the parents of two daughters, Nell (W&L Class of 2024) and Mary.

Jack Huffard '90, P'28 graduated from W&L with a B.S. in business administration. He received his MBA from Babson College in 2000. Huffard is an accomplished start-up and growth software company executive with more than 20 years of executive leadership, go-to-market, operational and strategic planning experience. In 2002, he co-founded Tenable (NASDAQ: TENB), a company that protects digital and critical infrastructure from cyber risk and exposures. After leading the firm as a senior executive, he now serves on Tenable's board of directors.

Before establishing Tenable, Huffard was the director of corporate development for Enterasys Networks. He also held various management and sales positions at John Hancock and Marriott. Huffard currently serves on the board of directors of Norfolk Southern Corporation, Immersive Labs, Ltd., Strivacity, Inc., and Nivelo Tech. In addition, Huffard was appointed by the president of the United States in 2020 to serve on the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee, which advises the president on matters related to national security and emergency preparedness telecommunications and cybersecurity policy.

As a student, Huffard was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and participated in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program. As an alumnus, he has served W&L as a member of his class's reunion committee, the Williams School Board of Advisors, the Entrepreneurship Advisory Board and the Parents Leadership Council.

A native of Georgia, Huffard resides in McLean, Virginia, with his wife, Katie. They have three sons: Jack (Wake Forest University Class of 2026), Sam (W&L Class of 2028) and Brown, a high school junior.