Governor appoints John Littel to W&M Board of Visitors
Committed to W&M John E. Littel was first appointed to the Board of Visitors in 2012. Photo by Stephen Salpukas
Former Board member succeeds Ted Dintersmith
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced today that John E. Littel has been appointed to succeed Ted R. Dintersmith on the William & Mary Board of Visitors.
Dintersmith ’74, who was appointed to a four-year Board term that commenced July 1, has resigned from the William & Mary Board of Visitors because of time constraints. Littel, a Board member from July 2012 to June 2016, will serve the remainder of Dintersmith’s term.
Littel is the senior vice president of external affairs for Magellan Health, where he is responsible for the company’s business development, communications and government relations strategies. Previously, he served as interim senior vice president of government affairs for WellPoint and, before that, executive vice president of external affairs for Amerigroup.
“We are thrilled to have John Littel return to the Board. He has been a strong contributor the past four years, and we look forward very much to working with him again,” said President Taylor Reveley. “At the same time, we will miss Ted Dintersmith. His insight into the future of education in the United States is compelling.”
Littel has worked at both the federal and state levels of government in such roles as senior counsel at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, deputy secretary of health and human services in Virginia, and director of intergovernmental affairs for the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy under George H.W. Bush.
In addition to his service on the William & Mary Board of Visitors, Littel was also a member of the William & Mary Public Policy Board of Advisors. He received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and political science from the University of Scranton and a law degree from the Columbus School of Law.
The 17-member Board of Visitors is the university’s governing body, appointed by the Virginia governor. Led by Rector Todd Stottlemyer ’85, the full board, including its 10 committees, works closely with university officials on W&M’s long-term goals, planning and budgeting.
Since being appointed to the Board in 2012, Littel has served in a number of roles, including most recently as chair of the Richard Bland College Committee, and vice chair of both the Committee on Financial Affairs and the Committee on Strategic Initiatives and New Ventures. He also served on the Committee on Audit and Compliance.
“John Littel has been a real leader on the Board and played an especially important role as the Board’s primary liaison with Richard Bland College. We’re delighted he’ll be joining us again,” Stottlemyer said. “We were also looking forward to having Ted Dintersmith on the Board, but we understand his concerns about balancing his time and commitments. Ted remains an active alumnus, and we look forward to working with him in other ways to support the university.”
Dintersmith, who graduated in 1974 with a degree in physics and English, has maintained strong connections to his alma mater. He is a former member of the William & Mary Alumni Association Board of Directors and served on the William & Mary Foundation Board of Trustees, chairing its investments committee. A proponent of project-based learning, Dintersmith helped found the W&M Honors Fellowship program in 2008. In 2014, he delivered the keynote address at the university’s Opening Convocation ceremony.
Dintersmith informed the university and governor’s office recently that he planned to step down.
“I was genuinely enthusiastic about joining this distinguished group and enjoyed participating in the Board Retreat in late July,” Dintersmith said. “However, I have now come to realize that the reality of ongoing commitments and travel schedules will simply not permit me to devote the time necessary to meaningfully contribute to this Board. I remain available to assist the College and the Commonwealth on a personal basis.”
