Board of Visitors Member Biographies
Board of Visitors Member Biographies
The Honorable Richard "Dickie" Bell is a retired high school special education teacher and coach. He is a former member of the Virginia House of Delegates and served ten years in that capacity prior to retiring in 2020. Prior to his election to the House in 2009 he served thirteen and a half years on Staunton City Council. He currently serves on the Augusta County Advisory Board for Farmers & Merchants Bank. He received his undergraduate degree from James Madison University and his Master’s in Education from Old Dominion University. Also a military veteran of the U. S. Navy, he served six years as a Hospital Corpsman during the Viet Nam era (1967-1973). He has been married to Anne for 41 years and they have two adult children and two granddaughters. He is a Staunton native and life-long resident.

Jeff W. Bolander is a retired Marine and Chair of the Samuel B. Griffith Foundation. He served in command and staff billets worldwide during his military career. Notable assignments include Marine Detachment Commanding Officer, Battleship Iowa in Operation Earnest Will; S-2, Battalion Landing Team 3/5 in Operation Desert Storm; Foreign Area Officer, US Embassy Singapore; military attaché, US Embassy Manila; and Assistant Chief of Staff (G-2), 3d Marine Division. His military education includes the Infantry Officer Course, Amphibious Warfare School, Defense Language Institute, and the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. Key military awards and decorations include the Navy-Marine Corps Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon, and the Republic of the Philippines Legion of Honor. His civilian education includes a B.S. in Political Science from James Madison University, an M.A. in East Asian Studies from the University of Virginia, a certificate in Mandarin Chinese from National Taiwan University, and a certificate in Business Intelligence from Villanova University. He received the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club’s Hawksbill Award for exceptional volunteer service in 2022.

Larry W. Caudle, Jr. is a Virginia native and an attorney and principal in Kraftson Caudle, PLC, a law firm located in Tysons Corner, VA focusing on construction and government contracts. Larry is listed in Best Lawyers in America and in 2023 was recognized as Lawyer of the Year, Litigation – Construction, for Washington, DC. He is also a fellow in the Construction Lawyers Society of America.

While residing in Northern Virginia, Larry served over 20 years with the Diocese of Arlington Catholic Charities’ annual fundraising ball and volunteered regularly at the Diocese’s St. Margaret of Cortona Transitional and Maternity Housing in Woodbridge. He has also served on several JMU boards including the JMU Alumni Board and JMU Foundation and was President of the JMU Alumni Association from 2014 to 2016. Larry and his wife, Barbara (JMU ’81) were the recipients of the Inez Graybeal Roop Alumni Service Award in 2020.

Larry graduated from JMU in 1982 with a BBA in Business Management and, after spending eight years in the heavy/civil construction industry, obtained his law degree from the University of Richmond, T.C. Williams School of Law in 1994. While at JMU, Larry was on the men’s track team, was active in several student organizations and served as President of the Sigma Phi Epsilon social fraternity in 1980-81. Larry and Barbara currently reside in White Stone, Virginia and have two grown children.

Teresa L. Edwards serves as the Regional President for the Hampton Roads VA and North East North Carolina Sentara markets and serves as interim President, Acute Care division. She also has several system responsibilities. Prior to her current role, Terrie served as the Regional President for the Peninsula and also the President of Sentara Leigh Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia. A life-long resident of Virginia, she has also worked in the Richmond (HCA and Bon Secours) and Lynchburg (Central Health) markets in Healthcare. Terrie received her undergraduate degree from JMU and majored in Public Administration. She went on to complete her Master of Health Administration (MHA) from Virginia Commonwealth University. She currently serves on the Women United Global Leadership Council (United Way), the Hampton Roads Women United Board, the South Hampton Roads YMCA Board, the Old Dominion University’s Women’s Initiative Network, mentoring first year college graduates. She and her husband, Jon, live in Chesapeake, Virginia. They have three grown children and are members of River Oak Church in Chesapeake, where she serves in various volunteer roles.

Carly S. Fiorina As a student of history and philosophy at Stanford University, Carly first began to appreciate the power of ideas to drive change and the impact of history on the present and future. She serves as the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation as well as the National Honorary Chair of the Virginia 250 Commission. In both roles, she is focused on ensuring that our nation’s founding is broadly understood, accurately portrayed, and commemorated in an inclusive, accessible way, particularly as we approach the United States Semiquincentennial in 2026. She is a member of the newly-formed American Bar Association Task Force for American Democracy, which is focused on those actions necessary to improve citizens’ confidence in American elections. She serves as the founding visionary and Executive Chair of The Williamsburg Institute, where history-makers meet.

Developed and honed throughout her experience over decades and around the globe, from the bottom of the ladder to the very top, from the private to the public to the social sector, Carly approaches each challenge with three core beliefs: every individualhas more potential than they realize; people closest to the problem know best how to solve it; and the highest calling of leadership is to unlock potential in others and work with them to solve problems and change things for the better. Putting those beliefs to work within the criminal justice system, she is the founder and Chair of Pathway to Promise, an organization that works with justice-involved youth so they can change their world.

She and her husband Frank have been married for almost forty years. They live in Lorton, Virginia, where they are both active members of the community and support numerous local charitable causes. Their daughter, son-in-law and two granddaughters live nearby.

Thomas Galati Started his education at Northern Virginia Community College, then transferred to James MadisonUniversity in 1994 where he worked towards his degree in Economics. While attending JMU, Mr. Galati was a senator in the Student Government Association as well a member of several other clubs.

In 1999, Galati founded Histo-Scientific Research Laboratories (now StageBio) where he worked closely with clients in the pharmaceutical industry, government agencies and academic institutions to bring innovativetherapeutics, medical devices, and other novel research technologies to the marketplace. He has overseenhundreds of compounds that have been submitted to the Food and Drug Administration for developing drugs in theareas of neurotoxicity, toxicology, and carcinogenicity.

Over the past 25 years Mr. Galati has founded numerous business enterprises in the areas of drug discovery,pharmaceutical research, and real estate. Now retired, he enjoys providing mentorship and guidance for over a dozen companies and ministries in and around the Shenandoah Valley. Mr. Galati has several board appointments where he serves in advisory roles for companies, nonprofits, and ministries in the United States.

Suzanne S. Obenshain is the Rector to the James Madison University Board of Visitors. She has lived in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County for more than 35 years where she owns and operates a small real estate and property management company. She previously worked as a licensed nursing home administrator for a large non-profit retirement community. She received her bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech and is the parent of a James Madison University graduate. Suzanne currently serves on the board of directors of the Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative and of the Old Dominion Electric Cooperative. She has previously served on the Board of Visitors for Virginia Tech where she chaired the Academic Affairs Committee. She has served on the boards of many non-profit agencies and organizations in the Valley and previously has been appointed by the Governor to serve the Commonwealth on multiple state boards and commissions.

Steve C. Smith is President/Chief Executive Office at K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc. d/b/a Food City.

Raised in Grundy, VA, Smith earned a bachelor’s in business administration from James Madison University. Throughout his 44 years of employment with Food City, he has served in numerous key positions, before assuming his current position of president and chief executive officer.

Headquartered in Abingdon, Virginia, K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc. operates 144 retail locations, trading under the Food City, Cooke’s/Fresh n’ Low, and Super Dollar banners, including 119 pharmacies, 116 fuel/convenience stores, and 4 wine & spirits stores throughout Southwest Virginia, Southeast Kentucky, East Tennessee, North Georgia, and Alabama. The company also operates 7 Curt’s Ace Hardware stores.

Smith has served on the boards of Wellmont Health Care Systems, Bristol Chamber of Commerce, Weis Supermarkets, and GO Virginia. He served as campaign chair for United Way of Southwest Virginia from 2000-2002 and 2006-2007, as well as board chair for Topco Associates, LLC, and FMI – The Food Industry Association. He is a member of National Grocers Association and currently serves as a Special Advisor to Governor Youngkin’s Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates, is a member of the James Madison University Board of Visitors, Mountain Mission School Board of Directors, Vice Chairman of Topco Associates, LLC Board of Directors, and serves on several committees for FMI – The Food Industry Association.

Nikki Thacker is a member of Reed Smith LLP’s Virginia Government Relations team and regularly engages with state and local governments on behalf of clients, and crafts innovative solutions to help clients solve issues within state and local government.

Before joining Reed Smith, Nikki held various leadership roles within the Virginia state government. In her most recent role, she served as the Chief Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth, where she led the recruitment, selection, and ethics compliance of appointed leadership within the governor’s office and all of the state’s executive agencies. In preparation for inauguration and the new administration, Nikki was tapped to serve as deputy director of the transition team, where she provided strategic leadership for policy, personnel, and operations. Before joining the governor’s office, she spent eight years working for members of the Virginia General Assembly.

In 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nikki co-founded a local chapter of Frontline Foods – a division of the World Central Kitchen – and helped raise funds to support local restaurants and restaurant workers while providing meals to frontline emergency health care services providers, including hospital workers, local police, and EMTs.

Nikki received her master’s degree in political science from American University and her B.A. in political science from James Madison University.

A Virginia native, Nikki now lives in the city of Richmond. In her free time, Nikki enjoys walks around the city with her dog, Edwin; she is an avid reader and a frequent yogi at her local hot yoga studio.