Years at UR: 25

How does it feel to be retiring?

I arrived on campus in August 1999. Retiring feels like an appropriate and exciting next phase after a very rich and wonderful UR journey.

What are some highlights of your work during your time here?

I directed 23 mainstage theatre productions, including nine musicals such as Fiddler on the Roof, Gypsy with Judy Garland’s daughter Lorna Luft as Mama Rose, Rent, Spring Awakening, and Urinetown. 

I performed in five mainstage productions at UR. Two of the most memorable were playing the old woman in Ionesco’s The Chairs. We took the production to St. Petersburg, Russia, where I was honored to receive the Excellence in Acting Award. I also played Prospero in The Tempest.  It seems fitting to think of Prospero right now. At play’s end, he has to give up the magic staff, the robe, and the island.   

What is a special memory of UR? 

During the final performance of Urinetown, we were about 10 minutes from the end of the show and the whole theatre suddenly went totally black. No power. The audience gasped, then a few emergency lights in the wings popped on, so there was just enough light to see the bodies onstage. The cast of amazing students and guest artists did not miss a beat. They went on with the show! The audience was electrified as they watched these superbly talented students carry on like pros. At the end, the audience jumped to their feet and gave a rousing standing ovation. It was a magical event that none of us will forget. 

How do you plan to spend your days?

I will do more traveling and gardening and work on some long-postponed research and creative projects.

What will you miss?

Dearly loved colleagues. My office with the years of mementos covering its walls. The view of the Westhampton Green. Students.

Years at UR: 43

What’s changed at UR during the four decades you’ve taught here? 

It’s a much bigger faculty, and that means a much more diverse faculty covering academic topics across the board. It’s become a lively place with wonderful resources for teaching and scholarship.

What are the highlights of your career at UR?

I was really happy to win UR’s Distinguished Educator Award and the Robins School of Business Teaching Award.  I served as president of the Association for Social Economics. I wrote or co-wrote four books, my favorite being the academic novel, Saving Adam Smith: A Tale of Wealth, Transformation, and Virtue.

I’m also very happy to hear of the many successes of our former students around the country and the world!

What special memories do you have of UR? 

At some point the University began sponsoring international trips, which brought together faculty from across the schools. I remember being crammed into a Land Cruiser on a mountain road in Yemen, learning about factions in the Middle East from our resident political science professor Sheila Carapico as trucks loaded with armed men drove around us. I also remember a faculty trip to Tibet with journalism professor Steve Nash, learning about the Chinese suppression of the local culture and identity. 

How does UR stand apart as an academic institution?

On campus, the department of economics has a strong ethic of dedication to teaching, which has persisted despite all the incentives to build one’s reputation through research. It is a pleasure to think about student learning being prioritized, especially at a time when many universities mainly focus on research acclaim.

What do you plan to do in your retirement? 

Travel, hike, read books, and watch classic movies. 

Years at UR: 30

What do you plan to do in your retirement?

My main goal is to spend more time with my family and travel. I have two married daughters with four grandchildren combined, and they are growing up so quickly now.

What will you remember about being at the University?

I will remember the very first time I came on campus in the summer of 1993. The campus was beautiful then, and it’s even better today. I was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, but had never been on the UR campus. I came to conduct my dissertation research using resources in the Boatwright Library with the help of business librarian, Lit Maxwell, who is now retired. The archival resources in the business library helped me finish my dissertation and earn my Ph.D. in business with a major in accounting, allowing me to graduate from VCU in December 1993. I was fortunate that a professor left the accounting department in May 1994, and I was hired and started as a visiting professor in August 1994.

What is a personal accomplishment from your time here that you’d like to share?

I am only the second African American professor to receive tenure in the Robins School of Business, with Professor Emeritus Ray Slaughter being the first.

I was voted in as accounting department chair four times by my colleagues and served for 13 years in that position. During my tenure as chair, our department and program grew during this timeframe. Together, we’ve navigated changes in curriculum, embraced new technologies, and contributed to the academic community in ways that I will always cherish.

What will you reflect on about your time at UR now that you’re no longer teaching?

I will miss the students here at UR and making a difference in their lives. Throughout my tenure, I have been inspired by our students' intelligence, curiosity, and dedication. I will also miss the friendships I have with many UR colleagues, both faculty and staff.

Years at UR: 19

When did you decide to teach anthropology?

After earning a law degree in 1981, I initially worked in Brazil, then on Wall Street, and later at various international law firms. I chose to follow my passion for anthropology — my undergraduate major at UR. I completed my Ph.D. in cultural anthropology at Duke University in 2003, the year I turned 50. I joined the faculty at the University of Richmond, after completing three postdoctoral fellowships.

What are you most proud of during your time here?

The classes I have taught in my 19 years —  Field Methods in Ethnography; Anthropology of Human Rights, Law & Order: The Anthropology of Justice; Latin American Ethnography; Introduction to Cultural Anthropology; Anthropology of Tourism; and Anthropology of Race.

My leadership in helping to form the University Faculty Senate included serving as its first president, and I also played a key role in A&S Governance as Chair of the A&S Faculty during the transition to Dean Jennifer Cavenaugh.  

What do you plan to do in your retirement?

I am working on a project involving photojournalism during the metal workers’ strikes in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1979 and 1980, which helped launch Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as the president of Brazil.