Nonprofits | Philanthropy 2025: ELIZABETH A. MCCLANAHAN

A Buchanan County native, McClanahan has led the Virginia Tech Foundation since 2021. She was previously a state Supreme Court justice and

president and dean of the Appalachian School of Law. McClanahan also serves as an adjunct professor of finance at Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business.

In 2024, the Virginia Tech Foundation marked its 75th anniversary managing the university’s endowment and real estate holdings. It has more than $3 billion in assets. The foundation also owns the for-profit Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, for which McClanahan serves as president.

A Virginia Chamber of Commerce board member, she received her bachelor’s degree from William & Mary and a law degree from the University of Dayton School of Law. McClanahan was Virginia’s chief deputy attorney general before becoming a state appeals court judge.

She is a member of Tech’s Center for Economic and Community Engagement Advisory Board, the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine’s board, the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission and Carilion Clinic’s board.

INTERESTING PLACE I’VE TRAVELED: The Diamond Beach in Iceland

PERSONAL MOTTO: The 4-H motto: “To make the best better”

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