VMI Board Lets Wins

Virginia Military Institute’s board of visitors has voted not to renew the contract of retired Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins, the school’s first Black superintendent, bringing an end to his tenure at the state’s military college amid ongoing political battles over leadership, diversity and institutional change.

Wins will serve out the rest of his contract, which ends June 30, confirmed Sherry Wallace, VMI’s director of communications.

The decision, which came after a nearly three-hour closed-door session Friday morning, was made without public discussion. The 10-6 vote followed weeks of political backand- forth over Wins’ contract and questions of state-led efforts to reshape VMI’s culture.

The VMI board of visitors consists of 16 voting members, the majority of whom — 12 — were appointed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The board includes a mix of military veterans, business leaders, and attorneys, with its president, John Adams, being a Richmond attorney and former Republican nominee for Virginia attorney general. All 10 of those who voted not to extend Wins’ contract were appointed by Youngkin, including two who were just appointed last Wednesday.

One of the six who voted to extend Wins’ contract, Tom Watjen, resigned from the board on Monday. He could not be reached for comment this week.

In a statement issued after the vote, board President Adams said, “The BOV is supremely grateful to Major General Wins for his service to the Institute during some very difficult times. The foundation he has provided us will ensure VMI continues to fulfill its vital mission of educating future leaders.”

Youngkin’s office did not respond to The News-Gazette’s request for comment on the vote.

The decision sparked immediate political backlash. Former Gov. Ralph Northam and House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott, both Democrats, condemned the board’s decision in a joint statement, calling it a politically motivated move that signals a step backward for VMI.

Scott, a former naval officer, likened the decision to a broader purge of military leadership, referencing the recent firing of Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair C.Q. Brown by President Trump. “This decision by the VMI Board is not based on performance or character — it is purely political,” Scott said.

“Major General Wins has served his country, the commonwealth, and VMI with honor, and as its first Black superintendent, he took crucial steps to change the institution’s culture while maintaining its tradition of excellence,” said Scott. “The Board’s decision is a clear signal that VMI is choosing to move in the wrong direction, caving to political pressures rather than continuing on the path of necessary reform.”

Northam, who ordered the 2021 investigation into racial discrimination at VMI that coincided with Wins’ full appointment, warned that the decision could harm the institute’s future. “Our country has purged too many patriotic military leaders this week, and now Virginia has done it too,” Northam said.

“Major General Cedric Wins is an accomplished leader who has given his life to serving our country, the Armed Forces, and the Virginia Military Institute. His steady leadership has made our Commonwealth stronger.” Northam added that VMI must ask itself, “How long will we cling to the past? If the Institute wants to survive, it needs to start looking to the future. Time is running out.” -At last Friday’s board of visitors meeting, six members voted in favor of extending Wins’ contract: C. Earnest Edgar IV, Richmond attorney Hugh Fain, Anthony Williams, retired Rear Adm. Terrance McKnight, Luis Garcia, and Tom Watjen.

Among those voting against renewal were Adams; Thomas “Teddy” Gottwald, chairman and CEO of NewMarket Corporation and a major donor to Youngkin’s campaign; and former Del. Bill Janis, a Republican from Goochland.

Others voting against renewing Wins’ contract included retired Col. James P. Inman, retired Lt. Col. James Joustra, Meaghan Mobbs, Nancy W. Phillips, Kate Todd, and the two members appointed by Youngkin last week, Richmond attorney Stephen Reardon and retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jonathan Hartsock of Lexington, deputy chief of staff and district director to Rep. Ben Cline.

Cline last month had publicly called for an ethics investigation into Democratic Sen. Jennifer Carroll Foy of Prince William over allegations that she pressured VMI board members to renew Wins’ contract.

In a letter dated Feb. 18 and addressed to G. Paul Nardo, clerk of the state House, and to Susan Clarke Schaar, clerk of the Senate, Cline highlighted a quote attributed to Carroll Foy, speaking to an unnamed board member. The quote points out that Wins and some General Assembly leadership are African American, and appears to hint, but doesn’t state directly, that there could be a connection between Wins’ contract renewal and VMI budget funding.

“These race-related comments, wholly unbecoming of a member of the General Assembly and completely inconsistent with the values of our nation, make plain the leadership of the General Assembly is attempting to exert undue influence” on the board’s decision, Cline claimed in the letter.

Carroll Foy denied the allegations, according to other media, arguing that her conversations with the board had been misrepresented.

After the news of the vote broke on Friday, Carroll Foy made another statement, calling it a politically motivated dismissal driven by Governor Youngkin’s appointees. She defended Wins’ tenure, highlighting his leadership through the pandemic and his role in increasing state funding, reversing declining applications, overseeing major capital improvements, and boosting both academic and athletic performance.

“I was disappointed to learn about the Board’s decision today,” Carroll Foy said. “Major General Wins took over as Superintendent of VMI during a pandemic crisis and quickly turned challenges into measurable wins, increasing state funding by 7%, reversed declining applications, driving major capital improvements, and boosting athletic and academic performance.

“Now, hyper-partisan MAGA Republican appointees have taken over the VMI Board with their political agendas and voted to end the Superintendent’s contract by falsely labeling him as a ‘DEI hire.’ The core issue is that this action had nothing to do with performance or merit,” she said in her statement. -The board’s decision reignited broader tensions over diversity, equity and inclusion policies. Wins was first appointed in 2020 as interim superintendent after retired Gen. J.H. Binford Peay III resigned from the position prior to the investigation into racial discrimination and sexism at VMI.

“Following the developments of 2020 and the arrival of MG Cedric Wins, VMI has taken incremental steps towards a more diverse, inclusive VMI, and it has outlined plans to address the existing culture,” read the state-commissioned report of the investigation, written by the consulting firm Barnes & Thornburg.

Wins was then given a fouryear contract as superintendent in 2021. While state Democrats have applauded his work at VMI, he has been a lightning rod of attention and finger-pointing during a bigger national conversation about diversity reforms.

Critics, including the Spirit of VMI Political Action Committee, an alumni group opposing DEI initiatives that was founded in 2021, have accused Wins of bringing unnecessary changes to the institution’s traditions, while his supporters argue he was leading much-needed reforms. The PAC’s stated mission is to “reject the woke assault on VMI.” It was founded by VMI alumni and supporters who opposed reforms following the racial discrimination investigation.

The PAC’s top donor is Teddy Gottwald, one of the board members who voted against Wins’ contract renewal. According to Cardinal News, Gottwald has contributed $50,000 to Spirit of VMI since 2021.

The vote also comes against the backdrop of a funding debate in the General Assembly. Some Youngkin allies claimed that Senate Democrats had deliberately excluded funding for VMI’s planned Center for Leadership and Ethics to pressure the board to keep Wins. However, Democrats say the project was cut in favor of other higher education priorities, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, including a new performing arts center at the University of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University’s proposed purchase of Altria’s former research facility in Richmond. Youngkin has vowed to restore funding for the project when he reviews the budget.

The VMI board has not yet announced a timeline for selecting a new superintendent. Wins’ contract was originally set to renew automatically on July 1 unless the board or Wins himself had opted out before April 2.