Whittington W. Clement received a B.A. degree from the University of Virginia and a J.D. from the University of Virginia Law School. He is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) and the Raven Society and is a past recipient of the Raven Award. As an undergraduate, he was president of the College and chaired the University’s Honor Committee. After law school, Mr. Clement clerked for US District Court Judge John A. MacKenzie.
Mr. Clement is a former partner, and now special counsel, at the law firm of Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP. He served as the Virginia Secretary of Transportation for Governor Warner from 2002 to 2005. Prior to joining the Warner Administration, Mr. Clement was a partner in the Danville law firm of Clement & Wheatley P.C. and a member of the Virginia General Assembly for 14 years. During his tenure as a legislator, he chaired the higher education capital outlay subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee. He has served on the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) for 10 years and as its chairman from 2009-2011. He is a former president of the Virginia Bar Association and past chairman of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.
Mr. Clement is a former member of the Alumni Association’s Board of Managers, has co-chaired the Parents Committee, was a founding member of the College’s Alumni Council, and has served on the Jefferson Scholarship National Selection Committee. He is also a former Trustee of Episcopal High School, Chatham Hall, and Averett University where he served as chairman of its board.
Mr. Clement and his wife, Meg, have three sons, Whitt Jr., Harrison, and John, who have earned three B.A. degrees from the College, two M.S. degrees from the McIntire School of Commerce, and one MBA from the Darden School.
Mr. Clement was appointed to the Board of Visitors by Governor McAuliffe in 2015 and reappointed by Governor Northam in 2019. In June 2019, his colleagues elected him as vice rector and on July 1, 2021, he became the rector.