Elizabeth Ann McClanahan (born September 1, 1959) is a former Justice of the
Supreme Court of Virginia. She was sworn in on September 1, 2011, for a term ending in 2023. In January 2019, she announced that she would retire from the Court effective September 1 of that year.
Born in
Buchanan County, Virginia, she received an undergraduate degree in government and sociology from the
College of William and Mary
The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III ...
(1981) and her
J.D. degree from the
University of Dayton
The University of Dayton (UD) is a private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the nation and the second-largest private university in Ohio. The univ ...
(1984). She formerly chaired the
State Council of Higher Education and served as vice rector of the College of William and Mary. She formerly partnered with a law firm called Penn, Stuart, and Eskridge and served for more than eight years on the
Virginia Court of Appeals as a Judge. She is a breast cancer survivor.
She became President and Dean of the
Appalachian School of Law
The Appalachian School of Law (ASL) is an ABA-approved private law school on a four building campus in Grundy, Virginia, a small town near the convergence of Virginia, Kentucky, and West Virginia. The school offers a three-year Juris Doctor de ...
on September 2, 2019. She departed from this role, and is currently CEO of the
Virginia Tech Foundation
The Virginia Tech Foundation (VTF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit nonstock corporation established in 1948 to receive, manage, and disburse private gifts in support of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University programs. The purpose of the fou ...
as of June 1, 2021. She is also currently a part of the McCammon Group as a mediator of legal disputes.
During her time on the Virginia Court of Appeals, she was honored in the 2011 list of "Influential Women of Virginia" by Virginia Lawyers Media. In 2021, she was recognized by Virginia Business in "Virginia 500: The 2021 Power List" in the Nonprofits/Philanthropy section.
References
1959 births
Living people
College of William & Mary alumni
People from Buchanan County, Virginia
University of Dayton alumni
Justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia
Judges of the Court of Appeals of Virginia
21st-century American judges
Deans of law schools in the United States
Women deans (academic)
21st-century American women judges
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