VCU news

By Mike Porter

The Virginia Commonwealth University Board of Visitors has elected John A. Luke Jr. of Richmond to serve as rector for the 2015-16 academic year, effective July 1.

Luke, chairman and CEO of MeadWestvaco Corp., joined the VCU Board of Visitors in 2012 and has chaired the Audit, Integrity and Compliance Committee.

Luke joined what was then Westvaco in 1979 and through the years served as treasurer, vice president, senior vice president and as a member of the board of directors. He was elected executive vice president in 1990, president and CEO in 1992 and chairman in 1996. He was elected chairman of MeadWestvaco in November 2002.

Luke serves on boards for The Bank of New York Mellon, the National Association of Manufacturers, the American Forest & Paper Association and the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. He also is a trustee of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the VCU School of Engineering Foundation, and serves on the board of governors of The Community Foundation serving Richmond and central Virginia.

Jacquelyn E. Stone, a partner at McGuireWoods, was elected vice rector. Stone chairs the firm's Diversity and Inclusion Committee and is a former member of the firm’s board of partners.

Stone joined the VCU Board of Visitors in 2011 and has chaired the Academic and Health Affairs Committee. 

Stone has been recognized for several years as a Virginia "Super Lawyer" and as one of Virginia's "Legal Elite" in government relations and immigration law by Virginia Business magazine.