Alumni Profile

Stephanie L. Hamlett, History ‘81

Stephanie L. Hamlett was recently selected for inclusion in Virginia Business Magazine’s feature, “The Legal Elite,” a listing of the best lawyers in Virginia. Her selection was particularly noteworthy since she is employed by the state, working in the Attorney General’s office, while the listing ordinarily consists almost entirely of lawyers in private practices.

After her graduation from MWC with a History degree, Ms. Hamlett received her law degree from the University of Richmond, T.C. Williams School of Law, where she was elected to the University of Richmond Law Review. She also received a masters in tax law from the College of William and Mary, Marshall-Wythe School of Law, Williamsburg, Virginia.

Ms. Hamlett was admitted to the bar in Virginia in 1986 and has since that time been in both private practice and in public service. As an employee of the Division of Legislative Services, Ms. Hamlett served as counsel to the House Appropriations Committee and co-counsel to the House Finance Committee of the Virginia General Assembly and also provided assistance to other committees on matters of taxation and finance.

Prior to her service with the General Assembly Ms. Hamlett was an associate in the public finance section of the prestigious Richmond law firm of McGuire, Woods, Battle, and Boothe. She subsequently served as counsel for the Richmond firm of Sands, Anderson, Marks, and Miller, representing local government clients in state and local tax matters and lobbying on behalf of clients (mainly local governments) before the General Assembly.

Immediately before joining the legal staff of Attorney General Jerry Kilgore, Ms. Hamlett served as Executive Director of the Virginia’s Heartland Partnership and a Secretary-Treasurer of the Virginia’s Heartland Regional Industrial Facilities Authority. These positions involved extensive efforts toward promoting economic development in a six-county area within Southside Virginia.

Austin Merrill, History '91

Since his graduation in 1991, Austin Merrill has had a varied and interesting career—a testimony both to his own talents and to the breadth of competencies provided by majoring in history.

Immediately upon graduation Austin was hired by MWC’s Admissions Office, where he spent four years as an assistant dean.

After that he volunteered for the Peace Corps and lived in Ivory Coast for two years working to help improve water/sanitation conditions. In the process he received what he calls “a crash course in the lasting effects of Western Europe’s colonization of West Africa.”

Upon completing his Peace Corps service, Austin began graduate work at Columbia University, where in May of 1999 he received a Master in International Affairs degree. While at Columbia he was selected as editor-in-chief of the school’s prestigious Journal of International Affairs. One of the issues was entitled “Seeking International Justice: The Role of Institutions,” for which he went to Atlanta to interview Jimmy Carter. In 1999 the Columbia Journalism Review published his article, “ Witness for the Prosecution,” which examined whether journalists should testify before war-crimes tribunals concerning atrocities they have covered.

Deciding to stay in New York, he worked for a year as associate producer for a documentary film company. One of the projects he worked on was the feature-length film, “Well-Founded Fear,” which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, aired on PBS and CNN, and won the grand prize at New York City’s docfest 2000.

Austin’s interest in both writing and the theater was demonstrated in his co-adaptation of James Agee’s novel A Death in the Family into a play—and then played the lead role in a production of it. He is currently working as a freelance writer and editor and as a researcher at Vanity Fair. [See his article on MWC graduates in the Peace Corps in the winter issue of MWC Today.]

Reflecting on his years at Mary Washington, Austin says, “I entered college thinking I’d be a math major—that had been my strength in high school—but I’ve always been glad I chose history instead. It is, perhaps, naïve to think that we can look back and understand the decisions and actions of people in times of exploration, war, or political and social upheaval….But our naivete should be seen as a refreshing source of energy that keeps us curious…. That’s what I got out of studying history, and it’s what keeps me going today.”

[This is one in a series focusing periodically on the Department’s graduates. Alumni are encouraged to keep the Department apprised of recent activities by e-mailing the chair at chudgins@umw.edu or contacting any other member of the faculty.]

Bruce Loving, History ‘86

Bruce Loving was recently appointed president and CEO of Carnegie Hall, Inc., the award-winning arts and education center located in historic Lewisburg, West Virginia.

While at MWC, Bruce was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and at his graduation was awarded the Colgate W. Darden Medal for attaining the highest academic average in his graduating class. In 1989 he received his JD degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he served as an editor of the Journal of Law and Politics. He subsequently practiced law in Ohio until 1994 and was an associate at Frost & Jacobs, Cincinnati’s largest law firm.

Long interested in the arts, Bruce served as vice president of the Cincinnati Opera Guild Board of Trustees from 1991 to 1994, at which time he decided to pursue a professional career in arts administration. Since then he has held various arts marketing, development, and executive positions at opera companies in Tennessee, Virginia, and Michigan.

At Virginia Opera, the fifteenth largest opera in the US, Bruce served as Director of Communications. More recently in Michigan he focused on arts fundraising and management, securing significant contributed income for programming, capital improvements, and operations.

As president and CEO of Carnegie Hall, Inc., Bruce is responsible for directing an institution that annually reaches over 75,000 patrons and students through arts-in-education programs, classes, workshops and art exhibits, as well as live performances by such diverse artists as Issac Stern, Wynton Marsalis, the Vienna Choir Boys, and Kathy Mattea.

In announcing the appointment, the chairman of Carnegie Hall’s board of directors praised Bruce’s “unique background as an arts executive, fundraiser, marketer, and attorney,” and noted that “after conducting an exhaustive search, during which we interviewed candidates from across the country, we are confident he is the best person to lead Carnegie Hall to the next level of excellence.”

Bruce says that people sometimes ask him how he can run an arts and education center without having a degree in arts management. His answer is that “a strong liberal arts education prepares you to do anything.” More specifically, he explains: “The stellar education I received at Mary Washington is the bedrock upon which my career was built, and my history major was definitely the strongest component of that education. I will continue to reap the positive benefits from my experience in the history department for the rest of my life.”

Hank Elliott, History ‘98

A native of Rye, NY, Hank Elliott began his affiliation with the National Park Service while still a student at MWC. Working as a volunteer with the restoration specialist of the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, he learned preservation techniques for archeological and cultural resources. He subsequently interned for the Friends of the Fredericksburg Area Battlefields, a local preservation group, in which capacity he worked with the American Battlefield Protection Program (an arm of the National Park Service) to develop an acquisition, interpretation, and long-range management plan for three local battlefields currently lacking protection, and also drafted preliminary National Register nominations for each site.

Based on his academic preparation and his hands-on experience, the National Park Service hired Hank as a seasonal employee in 1999 and promoted him to full-time status the following year. He is currently a member of the interpretive division of a National Park that administers four major Civil War battlefields comprising over7,000 acres and attracting approximately 1.5 million visitors annually.

Hank’s job varies significantly according to the season. During the busy summer months when park visitation is at its peak, his time is mainly devoted to developing and conducting interpretive walking tours for each battlefield as well as two historic structures. This often involves educational programs for school classes and detailed all-day bus tours for military groups. In addition, he frequently assists visitors with research in the park’s library and archives.

During the quieter winter months, with far fewer park visitors, Hank’s work focuses more on the researching of pertinent battlefield questions. This aspect of his work has taken him to such public and private repositories as the National Archives, the Virginia State Library, the Virginia Historical Society, and the College of William and Mary to examine period manuscripts, diaries, letters, maps, and battle reports.

One of the best aspects of the job, according to Hank, is that it enables him to continue to conduct research and analysis in a discipline and an area that he has long found fascinating. His most recent assignment, for example, involved researching and drafting updated troop movement maps for the Wilderness Battlefield, as well as examining casualty lists in order to reevaluate the park’s understanding of army losses in the 1864 campaign.

Tim Landis, American Studies ‘93

In light of his family tradition, it was not surprising that Tim Landis gravitated toward public service. The grand-nephew of the noted jurist and first Commissioner of Baseball, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, Tim worked on Capitol Hill for several years immediately following his graduation from MWC. After two years in the office of Congressmen Brad Schuster, he served as a press liaison for Congressman Jay Kim during the Clinton impeachment hearings.

The numerous connections he made while in those jobs led serendipitiously to another career - - his current work as a free-lance promoter. The new career developed from highly successful New Year’s Eve “bashes” that he began to organize in 1996; three years later he was hosting a gathering of almost 2000, filling DC’s capacious Phillip’s Flagship Restaurant.

Though he has continued the New Year’s Eve extravaganzas, he has broadened his entrepreneurial efforts through creation of a business venture called Velvet Rope Promotions, which organizes up-scale parties in the DC area. For someone who, it seems, “parties for a living,” Tim himself tends to be abstemious - - a necessity, he says, if he is to ensure that his events go smoothly. Nonetheless, it has provided the opportunity to meet numerous notables, both from politics and the entertainment world [e.g., Alec Baldwin in the accompanying photo].

Despite his sybaritic occupation, Tim clearly is not overly given to frivolity. His serious side is evident, for example, in an op-ed article, “Masterpiece of Government Waste,” that he wrote for the Washington Post last year in which he criticized the Arlington County government for “squandering tax dollars” on non-essential projects,while allowing needed public services to languish.

Though obviously aided in his work by a naturally gregarious personality, Tim credits his American Studies major at MWC for much of his success. “In many cases,” he says, “your college degree will limit the profession you will be able to chose. Not so with American Studies…. In every job application I’ve ever filled out, I have been able to use the American Studies degree to help qualify me for the position, whether it be in promotions, sales, advertising, or government. The scope of the degree is just that wide.”

Tim’s commitment to MWC has continued to be evidenced in his involvement with the Alumni Association, including three terms on the governing board of that organization. He can be reached via his website: www.timsbash.com.