Governor Appoints Three New Members to UMW Board of Visitors

The Virginia Governor's Office announced Friday the appointment of three new members of the University of Mary Washington Board of Visitors.

Virginia "Ginny" Gentles, director of the Education Freedom Center at the Independent Women's Forum; Tim Pohanka '93, chief operations officer at the Pohanka Automotive Group; and Terris E. Todd, senior advisor to the president of Kingdom Builders Worldwide, will join the board.

Virginia Gentles

Director of the Education Freedom Center at the Independent Women's Forum, Gentles also hosts the Students Over Systems podcast and is a contributor to the Independent Women's Network. Her work has appeared in National Review, Newsweek, City Journal and Real Clear Education.

She began her career on Capitol Hill as a legislative assistant and House Budget Committee analyst and served as a senior political appointee in the Department of Education. She led the Florida Department of Education's Office of Independent Education and Parental Choice, managing school choice programs. While living in Canada, Gentles worked for the Fraser Institute and the Ontario Ministry of Education.

A Florida native, she graduated from Wake Forest University and from Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. She lives in Arlington, Virginia, with her two daughters.

Tim Pohanka '93

With a career spanning three decades in the automotive industry, Pohanka is chief operations officer for Pohanka Automotive Group, overseeing three Fredericksburg-area dealerships. He has served as a consultant to automotive dealers across the country interested in performance improvement and groups looking to invest in the automotive space.

As a member of the Nissan National Dealer Advisory Board, he has contributed to several subcommittees focused on marketing and customer experience, including his current role as chair of the Electric Vehicle Subcommittee. He is on Virginia's Motor Vehicle Dealer Board and is legislative chairman for the Virginia Automobile Dealers Association.

A 1993 graduate of Mary Washington, Pohanka earned a degree in business administration and was a member of the men's swim team. He lives in the Fredericksburg area, where he raised his two sons.

Terris E. Todd

Todd, an ordained minister and author, is senior advisor to the president of the faith-based organization Kingdom Builders Worldwide.

He previously served as advisor of coalitions engagement at The Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., and as executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans in the Department of Education. There, he worked to ensure students are prepared for college and careers. Todd also has been a public school teacher, administrator and college instructor and has served on various boards.

A Michigan native, he earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education and a master's degree in educational leadership, both from Western Michigan University. He lives in Woodbridge. He and his wife, Karen, have three daughters in college.

Each board member will serve a four-year term. They succeed Charles Reed '11, Robert Strassheim '96, and Princess Moss '83 on the UMW Board of Visitors.

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