Inaugural RBC Board of Visitors Appoints Leadership
For Immediate Release: August 28, 2025
Contact: Jesse Vaughan, Chief Communications & Marketing Officer/jvaughan@rbc.edu
The inaugural Richard Bland College Board of Visitors hosted its first meeting yesterday on the Richard Bland College campus. At the meeting, board bylaws and policies were adopted, the annual calendar of meetings was approved and officers were elected, including rector, vice rector and secretary. John Rathbone, Retired Chief Financial Officer of Norfolk Southern Corporation and former RBC Committee Chair of the W&M Board of Visitors was elected to lead the board as rector. Albert Poole, Of Counsel at Poole Brooke Plumlee, PC is vice rector; and Vickie Schray, Founder and Principal at Vanguard Coaching and Consulting Services, LLC, will serve as secretary.
“The inaugural meeting of the Richard Bland College Board of Visitors has been a long time coming and it marks a historic milestone for our institution,” Dr. Sydow said. “With this governing body comprised of a distinguished group of professionals and led by Rector Rathbone, the College stands ready to accelerate its innovative, nimble and entrepreneurial approach to higher education in the Commonwealth.”
Board members were briefed on their role, duties and responsibilities by College Counsel from the Attorney General’s office and the College’s accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
“It is a distinct honor to continue serving Richard Bland College—this time as a member of its first-ever Board of Visitors,” Rathbone said. “I feel I can speak for the rest of the board that we are deeply committed to supporting the College’s mission and advancing its strategic vision during this pivotal time in its history.”
For more than half a century, RBC was governed by the board of the nation’s second oldest university, William & Mary (W&M). In practice, RBC was governed by a committee of the W&M Board of Visitors. Aside from a shared board, the two institutions operated completely independent, sharing no financial, programmatic or operational linkages. Importantly, W&M will remain a destination for many RBC transfer students seeking a baccalaureate degree, so the change in governance will in no way alter students’ ability to seamlessly transition from RBC to W&M.
The Virginia General Assembly and Governor Youngkin agreed Richard Bland College would be governed by its own board, effective July 1. RBC, the Commonwealth’s only junior college, followed in the footsteps of the Old Dominion, Christopher Newport and Virginia Commonwealth Universities that were also once governed by the W&M Board of Visitors. These institutions have since flourished—Richard Bland leadership anticipates a similarly bright future.
“This momentous victory for Richard Bland College has been more than a goal—it has been a steadfast commitment to help secure for our students, community partners and the Commonwealth an institution that will serve their needs well into the future,” Dr. Sydow said. “With a dedicated Board of Visitors now in place, the College is sure to thrive like never before.”
The RBC Board of Visitors will convene again on Wednesday, September 24. For more information about the board, click here.
