Upcoming Events

2019 Convocation Speakers

Please note: Link below to the VMI Calendar which includes an 'Add to my Calendar' button. Information may be pending or subject to change.

• November 11 - Founder's Day Convocation Speaker Deborah Lee James, 23rd Secretary of the Air Force
  11:00 a.m. in Gillis Theater, Marshall Hall

Past Speakers

Courageous Leadership Speakers

During the spring term, featured "courageous leaders" come to post to engage with cadets, staff, and faculty providing their personal insights.  Their visit typically includes meeting with cadet clubs, athletic teams, and/or specific classes and culminates in an evening presentation in the Gillis Theater.

Their role as influencers helps support our mission of enhancing the leadership development journey of the VMI community and raise the profile of the Institute to a broader, national audience.  

 Videos from this series are on our YouTube Channel. 

Past Speakers

H.B. Johnson, Jr.'26 Distinguished Speakers

The H.B. Johnson Distinguished Speaker series features top-tier speakers who typically have national reputation renown in the military, public policy, entertainment, business, or other sectors whose personal story and leadership insights align with VMI's mission of developing citizen-soldiers of character and integrity.  

These events are free and open to the public.

• 2019 - Retired Four-Star General Joseph Votel, Keynote for "Disruption: Challenging Leadership at Every Turn" on Tuesday, October 29th at 9 a.m. in Cameron Hall on the Post of VMI

Past Speakers

Caroline Dawn Wortham'12 Speaker Series

Established by the Wortham Family, this speaker series honors the memory of Caroline Dawn Wortham.

Caroline "Carrie" Dawn Wortham, passed away at the age of 26, on September 5, 2015, in Hanover County, Virginia. In her short life, she readily impacted others as a force for good and sought to serve God with passion. She was gifted with the skills to encourage others and challenge them to excel. Carrie lived fully and was never afraid of hard work...being persistent, disciplined, and driven.

Having vibrant red hair and a direct and poignant wit tempered by compassion, one always knew when they were with Carrie.  Though being a skilled athlete and exceptional student with numerous academic and athletic accomplishments at VMI (among others; Cincinnatus Award recipient, President of VMI’s chapter of Beta Beta Beta, Regimental S-2 Captain, Women's Track and Field team Captain, and 2011-12 Big South Woman of the Year) she remained humble and selfless.

Carrie graduated from St. Catherine's School of Richmond, Virginia in 2008, going on to earn a B.S in Biology in 2012 at VMI. She then dedicated the next two years to Midwives For Haiti, a nonprofit organization which upholds the vision that "all Haitian women will have access to prenatal care and delivery with the assistance of a Skilled Birth Attendant." Her love for and service to the Haitian people led to the opening of the “Carrie Wortham Birth Center” in Cabestor, Haiti, shortly after her death. Her final months were spent in preparation to matriculate into Marine Corps officer training.

Past Speakers