During the Charter Day ceremony on Feb. 7, William & Mary will launch the Year of the Environment – celebrating its estuarine campus and renewing its commitments to healthy ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.

The yearlong observance will advance sustainability efforts on campus and expand William & Mary’s impact around the world. The university recently completed its Year of the Arts, highlighting the creativity flourishing across campus.

Charter Day marks the founding of William & Mary in 1693 by British royal charter. This year’s event starts at 4 p.m. in Kaplan Arena. Derek Aday, dean of the Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences, director of VIMS and chair of the Year of the Environment committee, will offer remarks. Former W&M Rector Todd A. Stottlemyer ’85,  P ’16, P ’21, health care CEO and board member, will receive an honorary degree. The ceremony will open with a special announcement.

“William & Mary’s Royal Charter looks forward,” reflected President Katherine A. Rowe. “It imagines-into-being a place of universal learning, for ‘all times coming.’ In that same spirit, we look to the horizon now. Throughout our Year of the Environment, we will be taking a 100-year view of the environmental changes shaping our estuarine region and others like it around the world. We aim to make William & Mary the destination for future scientists, policy makers and industry leaders who seek resilient solutions.

“It is fitting that we honor Todd A. Stottlemyer in this moment,” Rowe continued. “We celebrate his foresight, integrity and leadership in our Commonwealth as a healthcare innovator. Like so many William & Mary people, he finds pragmatic solutions to challenges others find intractable.”

Investing in resilience

William & Mary has made long-term commitments to sustainability in its Vision 2026 strategic plan and Climate Action Roadmap. Multiple initiatives are underway: from academics to operations, from energy use to stewardship of its beautiful campus.

Academic highlights:

• In 2019, a $19.3 million gift established the Institute for Integrative Conservation. The IIC prepares future leaders to drive policy and inspire action at local, national and international levels.

• In 2022, William & Mary’s Water initiative doubled down on our scientific prowess in coastal ecosystems, aquaculture and conservation.

• Last year, the university announced a $100 million gift from philanthropist Jane Batten HON ’17, L.H.D. ’19 to position W&M’s Batten School & VIMS as the premier destination for solution-oriented science protecting the world’s oceans, coasts and waterways.

Campus highlights:

• In 2018, William & Mary partnered with the University of Virginia and Dominion Energy to accelerate renewable energy sourcing.

• By 2026, William & Mary’s Campus Comprehensive Plan will outline other long-term investments in energy efficiency.

• Campus renovations include 531 geothermal wells, reducing energy costs up to 60% for the buildings they serve.

• 35 campus buildings – more than 1 million square feet – are LEED-certified.

These milestones build on two decades of sustainability work led by students, faculty, staff and administrators. In 2008, the Board of Visitors adopted a student proposal for a Green Fee. Those funds continue to speed innovation across campus.

The Year of the Environment will expand the reach and impact of this work, Aday said. “We invite everyone in the William & Mary community to join us in 12 months of meaningful initiatives and events that honor our responsibility to future generations,” he said.

Todd A. Stottlemyer ’85, P ’16, P ’21

A technology innovator in the health care sector, Stottlemyer is widely recognized as a community-minded leader. Taking a classic liberal arts path into senior roles – from government major to CEO – he has helmed multiple companies with national and international reach.

Since 2018, he has led Acentra Health, a healthcare technology solutions and services company, as CEO and board member. From 2015 to 2018, he served as CEO of Inova Health System’s Center for Personalized Health, and prior to that, he was CEO and a board member for Acentia, a private technology solutions company. From 2009 to 2011, he served as executive vice president of Inova Health System.

He led the National Federation of Independent Business from 2006 to 2009 and serves on the boards of numerous professional and community organizations. Washington Business Journal selected him as one of the 100 most influential business leaders in the greater Washington region, and he ranks in the top 50 of Virginia Business magazine’s most influential Virginians. In 2023, the nonprofit No Kid Hungry named him a “champion” for his work to end childhood hunger.

In these different roles, Stottlemyer advocates vigorously for public higher education and its positive impact on economic development. A long-time member of Virginia Business and Higher Education Council (VBHEC), he partners with university, corporate and government leaders to increase public investment. He steadfastly supports the growth of student internships and other talent pipelines for graduates.

A loyal alumnus, Stottlemyer has brought his entrepreneurial mindset to multiple leadership roles at William & Mary. From 2011 to 2019, he served on the Board of Visitors, concluding with five years as rector. During his tenure, he helped launch the record-setting For the Bold campaign, which raised $1.04 billion for the university. He helped design the W&M Promise – improving the university’s financial footing and tuition predictability for families.

Stotltemyer and his wife, Elaine T. Stottlemyer P ’16, P ’21, lead by example, investing in William & Mary students, research and athletics. They generously support the Powell Leadership Scholarship, the Global Research Institute and the Stottlemyer-Coyne Football Scholarship. They helped steward the campus landscape, sponsoring the Reveley Garden and Hearth: Memorial to the Enslaved. In 2024, the W&M Alumni Association distinguished him with its highest honor, the Alumni Medallion.