Penelope W. Kyle is an American academic administrator and government employee, who served as the former president of Radford University, a public, state-funded, comprehensive university, located in

Radford, Virginia Radford (formerly Lovely Mount, Central City, English Ferry and Ingle's Ferry) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of 2020, the population was 16,070 by the United States Census Bureau. For statistical purposes, the Bureau ...

. She assumed her role on June 1, 2005, and retired in June of 2016.

Career

Kyle graduated from

Guilford College Guilford College is a private liberal arts college in Greensboro, North Carolina. Guilford has both traditional students and students who attend its Center for Continuing Education (CCE). Founded in 1837 by members of the Religious Society o ...

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...

and did her postgraduate studies in English at

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , ...

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law and later earned her MBA from the

College of William & 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 I ...

. Kyle served as Executive Director of the

Virginia Lottery The Virginia Lottery is an independent agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia. It was created in 1987 when Virginians voted in a statewide referendum in favor of a state lottery. The first ticket was sold on September 20, 1988. All profits from ...

for 11 years, under three successive governors. First appointed by

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

George Allen George Allen may refer to: Politics and law * George E. Allen (1896–1973), American political operative and one-time head coach of the Cumberland University football team * George Allen (Australian politician) (1800–1877), Mayor of Sydney and ...

in 1994, she was reappointed by Governor Jim Gilmore, and then reappointed once again by Governor Mark Warner. Previously, Kyle was employed by

CSX Corporation CSX Corporation is an American holding company focused on rail transportation and real estate in North America, among other industries. The company was established in 1980 as part of the Chessie System and Seaboard Coast Line Industries merger. ...

, an international transportation company, where she became the company's first female officer. Before joining CSX Corporation, she was an attorney with

McGuireWoods McGuireWoods LLP is a US-based international law firm. Their largest offices are in Richmond, Virginia, Charlotte, North Carolina and Chicago, Illinois. History 1800s–1960s McGuireWoods traces its origins to two lawyers, Egbert R. Watson and ...

, LLP in Richmond. She also taught English for six years at Thomas Nelson Community College in Hampton, Virginia. Kyle served on the Board of Visitors at

James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the institution was renamed Madison Coll ...

(JMU) from 1984 until 1992 and on the JMU Foundation Board 1992 until 1994. She also served on the

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a public research university in Richmond, Virginia. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the Virginia ...

Foundation Board from 1994 until 2000 and on the Board of Governors of Saint Christopher School from 1999 until 2005. Kyle was also a member of the Board of Directors of the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of PRA, Inc., a publicly traded company, and has been since 2005. Kyle became Radford University's sixth, and first female, president when she took office on June 1, 2005. On March 30, 2015, Kyle announced that she would retire as Radford University president effective June 30, 2016. In February 2016, the Radford University Board of Visitors announced that the College of Business and Economics Building (COBE) would be named after Kyle.

Family

Kyle is married to Charles L. Menges, an attorney and partner with McGuire, Woods, LLC. They are the parents of three children. A native of

Southwest Virginia Southwest Virginia, often abbreviated as SWVA, is a mountainous region of Virginia in the westernmost part of the commonwealth. Located within the broader region of western Virginia, Southwest Virginia has been defined alternatively as all Virg ...

, Kyle attended Galax, Virginia public schools.

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 20th-century American lawyers College of William & Mary alumni Guilford College alumni People from Galax, Virginia Presidents of Radford University Southern Methodist University alumni University of Virginia School of Law alumni Virginia lawyers Women heads of universities and colleges 20th-century American women lawyers {{US-academic-administrator-stub