C. Ernest Edgar IV ’87 serves as general counsel for Atkins North America, an engineering, design, and project management company headquartered in Tampa, employing more than 3,000 engineering and scientific professionals across the country. A third-generation VMI graduate, Edgar earned his degree in civil engineering before serving as an Army engineer officer in Germany and in the Persian Gulf War, and later as an activated reservist serving after the Sept. 11 attacks. He graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law and is a member of the bar in Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Florida. Edgar previously served on the board of VMI Research Laboratories, Inc., and as the 1987 Class Agent.

Jamie Inman ‘86 is the Director of Planning and Logistics for Afton Chemical Company in Richmond, Virginia.

After graduating from VMI with a degree in English, he joined the U.S. Army where he served for 27 years.

His assignments prior to retirement include Commander of the Walter Reed Warrior Transition Brigade. In this capacity, he was responsible for all wounded, ill and injured soldiers in the National Capitol Region. Other assignments include chief of staff, U.S. Army Cadet Command; field artillery branch chief, Human Resources Command; and commander 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery, 101st Airborne Division.

Military awards and decorations that Colonel Inman has received include the Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster, and Purple Heart.

Col Inman holds Master’s degrees from the National War College and Louisiana State University.

He served as the Institute’s chief of staff for eight years, from 2013 through 2021.

After graduating with Distinction with degrees in English and History from VMI, Janis attended the Defense Language Institute Russian Basic Course. He served at sea in submarines and destroyers as a special intelligence officer, qualifying as a Surface Warfare Officer and achieving the rank of Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy.

He graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law and is admitted to practice law in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Janis was elected five times to serve as a Member of the Virginia House of Delegates (2002-2012), and chosen by his colleagues to be Majority Whip.

He was subsequently appointed as Deputy Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services, where he spearheaded the creation of “V3-Virginia Values Veterans,” an innovative economic development program which helps employers develop and implement successful, long-term strategies to recruit, hire, and retain Virginia Veterans. Janis has twice served as Alumni Class Agent.

Jim Joustra is an American businessman and retired military officer. He is a managing director with Triangle Healthcare Advisors, a business broker and advisor company to the Healthcare Services Industry. Jim has served as chairman of LocatorX a U.S. technology company, as director of mergers & acquisitions for Walgreens Boots Alliance, handling M&A responsibilities for $30 Billion in acquired companies, Jim has managed start-ups, most noteworthy, the Walgreen’s Mail Order Pharmacy business from inception to approximately $1 Billion in Sales. He served as an operations manager for Fujisawa Pharmaceuticals USA and also for Bristol Myers Squibb.

LTC Jim Joustra is also a retired United States Army, Corps of Engineers officer, a life member of the Military Officers Association of America and The Association of the United States Army. He holds a B.S. degree in Biology from Virginia Military Institute, MBA from Niagara University, is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command & General Staff College and numerous other civil and military schools. He has served the VMI Alumni Association for approximately 20 years as a chapter president, regional director and director at large where he focused his efforts on helping alumni and cadets to get meaningful employment and to support the alumni body as a whole. He has served his church as a significant fund raiser and for a number of other philanthropic organizations.

A native of Norfolk, Virginia, Rear Admiral Terry McKnight, USN (RET) graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in May 1978 and completed his master's degree in International Relations at Salve Regina University in May 1998. Moreover, he graduated from the U.S. Army War College in 1994 and also attended the National Security Seminar at Syracuse University in 2001.

He commanded USS Whidbey Island (LSD 41) from January 1995 until November 1996 and USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) from July 2002 until December 2003.

McKnight also served as the 85th commandant of Naval District Washington, the oldest continuously operated Navy installation in the nation and the deputy commander, Joint Force Headquarters National Capital Region.

He assumed duties as Commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 2, in September 2007 and served as the first Commander of Task Force 151 for counter-piracy operations in January 2009.

Personal decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal and Navy Meritorious Service Medal.

In 2012, he authored his first book, Pirate Alley: Commanding Task Force 151 off Somalia and was named Naval Proceedings “Notable Naval Book” of 2012.

Additionally, he has written several articles on maritime security that has appeared in a variety of international and domestic newspapers and magazines.  He continues to lecture extensively on the issues of global maritime piracy.

On his retirement from the Navy in 2009, he joined CAES, a defense firm, and holds the position as Vice President, Customer Relations and serves on the State of Virginia’s Defense Advisory Board.

Kate Todd is a partner with Torridon Law where she develops and coordinates high-stakes, multi-forum legal strategies for her clients. She has a distinctive blend of government, private sector, non-profit, and academic experience.

Todd has served two U.S. Presidents in the Office of White House Counsel, and formerly served as Senior Vice President and Chief Counsel of the U.S. Chamber Litigation Center, the litigation arm of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. She currently serves as a public member of the Administrative Conference of the United States and as a member of the board of directors of the Catholic Information Center in Washington, DC. She resides in Virginia with her husband and their five children.

Damon Williams ’90 is a regional Community Reinvestment Act officer at First Citizens Bank in Roanoke, Virginia. In addition, he is co-founder and vice chairman of Youth Sports Inc., a nonprofit organization that combines sports and education to foster character development, self-esteem, competitive spirit, and teamwork. He is currently chairman of the board of the Boys & Girls Club of Southwest Virginia and a member of the board of directors of Carilion Clinic. Williams graduated from VMI with a major in economics and was a member of the Keydet basketball team, the Promaji Club, the New Cadet Retention Committee, and the Young Economists Society.

A native of Virginia, Col. Abbey Carrico has been at VMI since 2013. Professor of French, she is the head of the Department of Modern Languages and Cultures where she teaches all levels of French and holds the Lieutenant General John W. Knapp ’54 Chair of Academic Excellence. In 2019, she was awarded the Thomas Jefferson Teaching Award, presented to a VMI faculty member “who is deemed especially talented at inspiring students in the development of their intellect and character.” Since her time at VMI, Col. Carrico has created a teaching forum, “Pedagogy 400,” co-directed the summer study abroad program in Paris, and served as an Assistant Inspector General/Title IX Coordinator. Her scholarly research centers on representations of the environment in 19th-century French literature and has been published by top journals and presses including Revue Flaubert, Dix-Neuf, Classiques Garnier, Les Cahiers naturalistes, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, and the Modern Language Association. She is active in the Foreign Language Association of Virginia and has presented her teaching strategies at the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages Convention. Col. Carrico received her BA in French and concentration in Education from the University of Richmond, her MA in History (European Area Studies) from Virginia Tech, and her Ph.D. in French Literature from Emory University.

Lara Tyler Chambers ’03 is founder and co-owner of Tyler Development Group LLC, an engineering and real estate development group, based in Richmond, Virginia. After graduating from VMI with a degree in civil engineering, Chambers established Tyler Development Group in 2003. Since inception, Chambers has developed the company to manage all aspects of the land development cycle, including re-zoning, land acquisition, plan development and design, project construction, and financial management.

During her cadetship she achieved the rank of regimental cadet captain, serving as the Institute’s first S7 responsible for cadet life and corps morale. She was also a Rat Challenge instructor and a member of the Ranger Challenge Team. While a cadet, she also volunteered in multiple community events, such as the construction of residential homes for Habitat for Humanity. Chambers is a third-generation graduate from VMI.

She previously served as a member of the VMI Board of Visitors.

After William C. Collier ’06 graduated from VMI, he commissioned in the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant of transportation. Collier spent his platoon leader, executive officer, and initial command and staff time at Fort Eustis, Virginia, in the 7th Sustainment Brigade. Collier was then assigned to the 1st Armored Division, Fort Bliss, Texas, and served as the assistant division transportation officer. From February 2012–March 2013, Collier commanded Delta Forward Support Company, 1st Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division. Following command, Collier was assigned as a contingency contracting officer in the 926th Contingency Contracting Battalion, Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland. Collier held this position until November 2014. He then joined the U.S. Army Reserve, 915th Contracting Battalion, 658th Contracting Team in Ohio and was medically retired in March 2018.

Collier then went to work for the chemical distributor Omya, Inc. in Cincinnati, Ohio, as its logistics operations manager for North America. From February 2020–February 2021, Collier was the vice president of the supply chain for RelaDyne, a fuel and lubricant distribution and specialty services company. Collier is now a contract manager for American Rheinmetall Munition, Inc., which produces small- to medium-caliber munitions and is headquartered in Stafford, Virginia.

His educational achievements include a Bachelor of Arts in history from VMI and a Master of Science degree in management with a concentration in contract management and procurement from the University of Maryland University College.

Collier is Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act Contracting Level II certified and the International Society of Logistics, Demonstrated Master Logistician certified. His professional organization memberships include USA Lacrosse, Sons of the American Revolution, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, AUSA, the National Eagle Scout Association, and Military Officers Association of America.

Collier serves as class agent for the Class of 2006 and is part of a legacy VMI family, along with his father, William C. Collier ’72, and brother, John C. Collier ’09.

Gen. Strock graduated from VMI in 1970 with a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering. He was initially commissioned an infantry officer in 1972. During his 35-year military career, Gen. Strock commanded units including a Special Forces operational detachment, a rifle company, an engineer battalion, an engineer brigade, and two Corps of Engineer divisions. From July 2004 to June 2007, he was Chief of Engineers and commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Following his military career, Gen. Strock joined Bechtel Group and currently serves as principal vice president in Bechtel’s government services business unit. Among his military awards are the Defense Distinguished Service Medal and two awards of the Legion of Merit. His many professional awards include the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Professional Practice Ethics and Leadership Award and its Henry Michel Award for Leadership in Research.

Lt. Gen. Strock previously served as a member of the VMI Board of Visitors.

W. Lloyd Taliaferro was graduated from VMI in 1995 and was commissioned as a U.S. Naval officer, serving aboard ships in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Carribean Sea, and Arabian Gulf. Following his service, Lloyd moved to Atlanta to attend graduate school to obtain his graduate degree.

Lloyd then spent six years in various Investment Banking positions at Wachovia Securities advising companies on mergers and acquisitions, capital formation, strategic alternatives, and various other corporate finance activities.

In 2006, Lloyd relocated to Norfolk to accept a position with U.S. Trust running a team that managed financial assets, conducted financial planning and conducted income and estate tax planning for wealthy families. During his time at U.S. Trust, his team managed assets in excess of $3 billion for approximately 50 families. In 2009, he was selected as one of the Best Private Bankers nationally by Barron's magazine.

In 2012, Lloyd left banking and joined as a principal and the Chief Financial Officer for several maritime companies with operations spanning from New York City to Morehead City, NC. Following a high growth period over 13 years where revenues more than doubled, Lloyd retired from the role as CFO in 2024.

Lloyd started his own consulting company, Gosport Ventures, in November 2024 with the focus of advising companies and their owners in preparing for transitions, such as mergers and acquisitions, recapitalizations, and other corporate finance events.

Professionally, Lloyd holds an undergraduate degree from VMI in Mechanical Engineering, an MBA degree from Goizueta Business School at Emory University, and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. He currently serves as the Vice President for Fundraising at the VMI Foundation, is a member of the Investment Committee for the VMI Endowment, and is a member of the Alumni Association Board for the VMI Alumni Agencies. He also is a board member and chairs the Investment Committee for the ForKids Foundation, an endowment supporting ForKids non-profit work as they fight homelessness in Hampton Roads. Lloyd also serves as Treasurer and Board Member of the Barry Art Museum in Norfolk Virginia.

Jamaal Walton '07 is Virginia Military Institute's director of intercollegiate athletics. Walton returned to post after serving as the University of Washington's senior associate athletic director for strategic initiatives since July 2021. In that role, Walton was a key member of the Athletic Director's Senior Leadership team, oversaw various sports, ensured NCAA compliance, and assisted with the donor engagement efforts of Washington's Tyee Club.

Walton's fiscal oversight at Washington included programs such as men's basketball and baseball, the athletics partnership with Adidas, its equipment department and the Husky Band and Spirit programs, among others.

Walton began his athletics administration career at Savannah State, before stops at Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Alabama, where he was involved with each respective institution's athletic marketing initiatives. Walton then worked at the College of Charleston from 2017 to 2021, where he assumed the role of associate athletic director for external operations.

As a cadet, Walton earned the General George C. Marshall Citizen-Soldier Award, the Lemuel Mackennie Long Jarman Award and was a four-year letter winner and captain of the VMI football team.