University of Virginia Retired Faculty Association
Board of Directors
2021-2022
Richard Brownlee
– President
E. Richard Brownlee II is the Dale S. Coenen Emeritus Professor of Business Administration at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, where he served on the faculty for almost forty years. He is a member of the Raven Society and a founding member of the Blue Ridge Mountains Rotary Club. He served as Chair of the Audit Committee and on the Executive Committee of the United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area, where he presently serves on the Board of Directors. He served as Chair of the Audit Committee and as Treasurer of the Center (formerly the Senior Center), where he presently serves on the Executive Committee and Board of Directors. He also serves on the Finance and Administration Committee of First Presbyterian Church.
Kathryn Thornton
– Vice-President
Professor Emerita, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
Since my retirement in 2019, I keep busy as a member of the board of directors of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, the Virginia Commercial Spaceflight Authority and a chair of the board of the Space Foundation. I also enjoy long solitary walks.
Bob Ribando – Treasurer
I retired from Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in 2013 after 34 years. When we got our first personal computers in the early 1980’s, I became an “early adopter.” In the mid-90’s I chaired a University task force on the future of technology in instruction. We certainly never envisioned a time when all of our courses would be “online!” Now I spend a lot of time keeping all the software, websites, etc. that I developed over the years up to date (See www.robertribando.com). Our older two daughters live in the DC area, so we are able to see them and four grandchildren pretty often. I also hang out a lot with our special-needs daughter, who lives with us and works at O-Hill Dining Hall. I’m also secretary of the Kiwanis Club of Charlottesville and a member of the Charlottesville Aviation Lunch Club.
Jerry Short – Secretary
Associate Dean School of Medicine
Professor Curry School of Education
Zan and I enjoy family, friends and travel. This year we spent September on Nantucket and visited three grandsons in colleges in New England. I continue to serve as an educational consultant to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Sharon Hostler
– Past President
McLemore Birdsong Professor of Pediatrics (Emerita)
Vice Provost for Faculty Development
Dennis Proffitt
Commonwealth Professor of Psychology, Emeritus
I retired in 2019, having been a UVA faculty member for 40 years. I continue to do a little academic writing, but my foremost devotion is now for my two granddaughters, 2 and 4 years-old, who live nearby. I have rediscovered the joys of Legos, pretend play, and children’s songs. I take acoustic guitar lessons at the Front Porch music school and play music daily. I also enjoy hiking, reading, and spending time with my wife, Debbie.
Judith Shatin
William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor Emerita of the Music Department
Composer Judith Shatin (www.judithshatin.com) is William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor Emerita of the Music Department. In retirement, she is devoting herself to full-time composing. Recent projects include Respecting the First (Amendment) for string orchestra and electronics fashioned from readings of and about the first amendment for the San Jose Chamber Orchestra. Current projects include Watershed, for chamber ensemble and electronics fashioned from field recordings of the Great Lakes, in collaboration with the Great Lakes Research Center, as well as La Frontera, a choral setting of a poem from Dreaming America: Voices of Undocumented Youth in Maximum Security Detention.
Melvyn Leffler
Emeritus Professor of American History, and former Dean of the Faculty and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
In my retirement, I have most enjoyed the time with my little granddaughters, ages 4, 5, and 8. Initially, I relished the visits, and now I have even learned to enjoy the Zoom calls and FaceTime. My key challenge is to improve my tennis game and get my son to acknowledge that I am jogging, not shuffling. Otherwise, I continue writing about contemporary foreign policy and working on a prospective book regarding Saddam Hussein, George W. Bush and the Decision to go to War 2003.
Pat Lampkin
Vice President and Chief Student Affairs Officer Emerita
Craig Littlepage
Director of Athletics, Emeritus
In retirement I remain active as a consultant in college athletics search processes. My wife, Margaret, and I enjoy watching sports, travel, fitness, and family gatherings. Some specifics: President, CKL Executive Services, LLC (consulting), Paramount Theater Board Member, National Invitational Tournament Committee (NIT), U of Pennsylvania Athletics Board of Advisors, Mt. Zion First African Baptist Church Trustee.