Business leaders Melissa Ballenger ’92, P ’22, P ’25, Eric Cantor J.D. ’88, LL.D. ’11 and Hillary Waldron ’02 — all William & Mary alumni — have been appointed by Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin D.P.S. ’22 to serve on the university’s Board of Visitors.

In addition, Ardine Williams, retired workforce development executive at Amazon, was reappointed to a second term, the governor’s office announced today. Earlier this year, Williams was elected vice rector of the board effective July 1, 2025.

Ballenger, who serves as an adjunct professor at the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at W&M, has held the position of chief financial officer for multiple global companies. Cantor, a former U.S. representative, now directs an investment bank. Waldron leads business development for a global aerospace and defense company. All three have remained deeply connected to their alma mater as engaged alumni.

Board terms will begin on July 1, 2025. The 17-member board serves as the governing body of the university, each appointed by the governor of Virginia for a term of four years. 

“We are pleased to welcome three William & Mary alumni to the Board of Visitors. With distinguished careers in business and government, they will be valuable partners and guides in the years to come,” said President Katherine A. Rowe. “And we joyfully celebrate the reappointment of Ardine Williams as a trusted leader on our board.”

Departing the board in July will be Vice Rector Barbara L. Johnson J.D. ’84, John Rathbone and J.E. Lincoln Saunders ’06.

“We are deeply grateful to Barbara, John and Lincoln for their dedicated service on the board. William & Mary is better because of your time and talents,” said Rector Charles Poston J.D. ’74. “I worked especially closely with Barbara and John as members of the executive committee and benefited greatly from their insights and leadership. Lincoln has served with distinction for eight years on the board.

“I look forward to continuing my work with Ardine, especially in her new capacity as vice rector as we guide the Alma Mater of the Nation ever-forward.”

New members

Melissa (Kolonoski) Ballenger ’92, P ’22, P ’25

Ballenger has more than 30 years of experience in banking, payments and financial technology. An accounting major at William & Mary, she has remained closely connected to her alma mater and is a member of the Business School Foundation Board of Trustees.

She currently serves on the board of directors and audit committee for ePLUS inc. and the board of trustees for Penn Mutual.

She worked as the chief financial officer of Mosaic, a financial technology platform for sustainable home improvements, from 2020 to 2023 and as a senior advisor to the board from 2023 to 2024. Before that, she served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Cross River Bank, executive vice president and chief financial officer for State Street Corporation and executive vice president, chief financial officer and chief business control officer for Santander. Throughout her career, Ballenger has also held leadership roles with TD Bank, MasterCard Worldwide, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Freddie Mac. She began her career at Arthur Andersen. 

Her husband, Geoff Ballenger ‘91, is also a W&M graduate.

Eric Cantor J.D. ’88, LL.D. ’11

A graduate of William & Mary Law School, Cantor has returned to the university often to speak with law students and others. In 2011, he spoke at William & Mary’s Charter Day and received an honorary degree from the university. 

Cantor is the managing director and vice chairman of Moelis & Company, a global independent investment bank. He also serves on its board of directors. As a leader within the company, he advises clients on issues related to public policy and industry – drawing on more than 25 years of experience in business and politics. 

From 2000 to 2014, Cantor represented Virginia’s 7th Congressional District. In 2010, he was elected as the majority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives. In that role, he led the public policy agenda for the House and oversaw the passage of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act, which sought to help emerging businesses raise capital. Prior to serving in Congress, Cantor was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates.

In addition to his W&M law degree, Cantor holds an undergraduate degree from The George Washington University and a master’s degree from Columbia University.

Cantor serves as a member of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Executive Council on Infrastructure. He was a visiting fellow at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He previously served on the U.S. Department of Defense Policy Board, which advises the secretary of defense on policy matters.

Hillary (Rollins) Waldron ’02

As a student at William & Mary, Waldron studied government and international relations, with a concentration in Middle Eastern studies. She went on to a more than 20-year career in the defense industry.

Waldron is currently the senior director of international business development for General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, a global aerospace and defense company. Before taking on that role in 2024, she served as president of the Convoy Group LLC for nearly three years.

She previously worked for MLM International, a company that provides consulting and contracting services for ammunition and weapons systems, for 19 years. She spent most of her tenure as senior director of international business development. From 2019 to 2021, she also served as the company’s vice president.

Waldron is a charter member of the Society of 1918, which seeks to honor women affiliated with the university by “growing engagement, leadership and philanthropy at the Alma Mater of the Nation.”

Her husband, Douglas D. “Rand” Waldron ‘91, is also a graduate of W&M.

Reappointed member

Ardine Williams

Williams was first appointed to the William & Mary Board of Visitors in 2021. She currently serves on the Executive Committee, the Committee on Audit, Risk & Compliance and chairs the Committee on Administration, Buildings & Grounds. In that capacity, she is also chair of the Design Review Board. In 2022, she was elected as secretary of the board, and in 2024, she was re-elected to that position. This April, she was elected as vice rector.

Amazon recruited Williams from retirement in 2014 for its Amazon Web Services cloud computing business, and she worked at the company until 2022. As vice president for workforce development, she advised Amazon businesses on how to attract and develop talent, helped advance the company’s retraining initiative and worked with community and government leaders to grow the region’s talent pipeline. 

Previously, she served at Intel from 1997 to 2014 in several executive roles, including vice president of human resources enterprise services. Before her time at Intel, she worked for Hewlett-Packard and Behring Company.

A U.S. Army veteran, Williams has recruited veterans and their spouses throughout her career. She was the executive sponsor for American Veterans at Intel and a member of the White House’s Joining Forces Initiative industry working team and the President’s Job Council working team.

Williams is a graduate of Pacific Lutheran University and completed the executive program at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. She has received numerous honors throughout her career, including a Seven Seals Award from the U.S. Secretary of Defense. In addition to her service on the William & Mary Board of Visitors, she is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Strada Education Foundation.

Departing members

Barbara L. Johnson J.D. ’84

Johnson is the founder of BLJohnsonLaw, PLLC and Counsel with Potter & Murdock, PC. Over the past three decades, she has represented myriad employers on a range of workplace issues.

Johnson was appointed to William & Mary’s board in 2017 and again in 2021. She served as secretary from 2020 to 2022. In addition to her current role as vice rector, she serves as chair of the Committee on Academic Affairs and vice chair of the Executive Committee. She is also a member of the Richard Bland College Committee. In addition to serving on the Board of Visitors, Johnson was a member of the Board of Trustees of the W&M Law School Foundation, where she served as president from 2014 to 2016 and vice president from 2012 to 2014. 

She earned her undergraduate degree from Hampton University and her law degree from the William & Mary Law School in 1984. Her husband, John “Michael” Payne J.D. ‘17, is also a W&M law graduate.

John Rathbone P ’02, P ’05

Rathbone has had a long career in business and finance. He helped lead Norfolk Southern for more than 30 years before retiring as its executive vice president of finance and chief financial officer in 2013. Even after he retired, he continued working for the company as a consultant until 2015.

Rathbone is a William & Mary alumnus but received his undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech before taking accounting classes at William & Mary. The father of two alumni, he chaired the Parent & Family Council and served as a trustee of the William & Mary Foundation. 

He was appointed to the Board of Visitors in 2021. He currently serves on the Executive Committee and the Committee on Financial Affairs, and he chairs the Richard Bland College Committee.

J.E. Lincoln Saunders ’06

Saunders is senior director of local public affairs for Capital Results Consulting, LLC in Richmond. Prior to this role, he was the chief administrative officer for the City of Richmond where he oversaw the city’s $2.7 billion budget and managed more than 3,000 employees. Before assuming this role in 2020, he was chief of staff to Mayor Levar M. Stoney for four years.

Saunders earned his bachelor’s degree in government from William & Mary. He started his career in government while a student, serving as a legislative aide in the Virginia House of Delegates. In 2014, he was appointed as policy advisor to the governor and first lady of Virginia.

He was appointed to the William & Mary Board of Visitors in 2017 and reappointed in 2021. He currently serves on the Committee on Administration, Buildings & Grounds and the Committee on Audit, Risk & Compliance.