Reiss begins leadership tenure at Colonial Williamsburg

Mitchell Reiss, a diplomat and former college president, dean, professor and scholar, becomes the eighth president of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation today.

In a move that marks the first leadership transition at the Foundation in 14 years, Reiss assumes the roles of president and chief executive officer filled since 2000 by Colin G. Campbell.

Campbell, 78, announced in January that he would be stepping down.

Reiss served for the past four years as president of Washington College, a private liberal arts institution on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

He received the State Department’s Foreign Affairs Award for Public Service after his service as a special envoy to the Northern Ireland Peace Process with the rank of ambassador during George W. Bush’s administration. As director of the Office of Policy Planning for the State Department, he advised then Secretary of State Colin Powell. In 1995, Reiss also served as chief negotiator for the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO), which was established to prevent nuclear proliferation on the Korean peninsula.

“In Mitchell Reiss we have found the ideal candidate who has a range of experience in the public and private sectors,” said Thomas F. Farrell II, Chairman of the Board of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. “Colonial Williamsburg will benefit from his understanding of the intersection of education and preservation in a contemporary world.”

Reiss plans to focus on advancing Colonial Williamsburg as a leading center for history and citizenship with innovative, interactive experiences for the living history museum’s visitors.

“Colonial Williamsburg has long been an institution committed to keeping alive the conversation about America’s founding principles,” Reiss said after his appointment in June. “This conversation is as relevant today as it was at our country’s origin, and increasingly important to individuals around the world seeking their own pathways to freedom and human dignity.”

Reiss graduated from Columbia Law School. He also holds a D.Phil. from Oxford University, a master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and a B.A. from Williams College.
A widely published author of articles and reviews, he has written three books on international security.

Reiss will be a familiar face in Williamsburg. He previously held several leadership posts at William & Mary including dean of international affairs, director of the Reves Center for International Studies, and vice provost for international affairs.

Campbell had initially planned to retire in 2008 but stayed on to lead the Foundation through the recession. During his 14-year tenure, he oversaw a $100 million renovation and refurbishment of the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center, Williamsburg Inn and Williamsburg Woodlands, as well the opening of the Revolutionary City, which depicts life in Williamsburg in 1774. Colonial Williamsburg also hosted the inauguration of Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and a royal visit by Queen Elizabeth II.

“It has been an honor and a pleasure to lead Colonial Williamsburg through challenging times,” Campbell said. “Mitchell Reiss is the perfect choice to lead this extraordinary place into the future. I have known him for many years and have great respect for his intellectual curiosity and his deep commitment to community. I look forward to doing everything I can to support his presidency.”

In his final President’s Report, Campbell asked the Colonial Williamsburg family to give Reiss “the same confidence, trust, and support that you have given me – and for which I am profoundly grateful.”

“I feel that I share a very special bond with the extended Colonial Williamsburg family,” he wrote. “It is a bond born out of a shared understanding and appreciation of this special place.”