Colonial Williamsburg, W&M launch leadership institute

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and William & Mary have partnered to form a leadership development institute in Williamsburg, the two entities announced Monday. Former Hewlett-Packard CEO and onetime GOP presidential hopeful Carly Fiorina will chair the Williamsburg Institute, which will have Walt Disney veteran Christopher Caracci as its executive director.

The institute’s mission is to “provide innovative leadership development opportunities rooted in history,” according to a news release announcing the launch. The new initiative will have programming aimed at three groups: high school seniors and college undergraduates seeking leadership skills; business professionals and community leaders; and lifelong learners. The Williamsburg Institute will hold one-to-three-day immersive programs held twice each year, as well as standalone conferences and “convenings.” 

The institute hopes to educate and prepare individuals for effective leadership in their organizations and communities while promoting active civic engagement and drawing upon the history of Williamsburg to provide participants with a “deep understanding of the foundational principles of the nation and their contemporary application.”

“The Williamsburg Institute is a first-of-its-kind and unique learning organization,” Caracci said in a statement. “With Williamsburg as its context, it will act as a bridge connecting our rich historical leadership heritage to both the present and future, informing the way for more effective leadership and civic engagement.”

The institute’s governing board of directors includes Colonial Williamsburg Foundation President and CEO Cliff Fleet; former W&M rector Jeff Trammell; W&M Provost Peggy Agouris; and Kendrick Ashton, co-founder and co-CEO of The St. James, a sports complex in Springfield. 

Fiorina, the first woman to lead a Fortune 20 company, also chairs the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. A 2010 GOP candidate for U.S. Senate in California, she unsuccessfully sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. Caracci worked for The Walt Disney Co. for 32 years and oversaw Disney University and The Disney Institute. He serves on the faculty at W&M’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business and at Cornell University in executive education.

“The institute will play a crucial role in education and preparing individuals to lead, solve problems, engage with others and advance society,” Fiorina said in a statement. “Now more than ever, particularly as we approach the 250th commemoration of [our] founding as a nation, we need leaders who will create a more effective, engaged, civil and inclusive society.”