VMI appoints new leader to replace school's first Black superintendent
'His impeccable military record, passion for the VMI experience and proven record advancing the mission of complex organizations make him the right person to lead the Institute in this next chapter of its history,' board president Jamie Inman said of Furness in a statement.
Furness, who is White and graduated from VMI in 1987, takes over an institute reeling after years of tension on campus that began with a 2020 Washington Post report about racism at the school. A statewide investigation followed, finding the institution tolerated a 'racist and sexist culture.' When Wins implemented policies to try to rectify that, conservative White alumni fought back, alleging those policies themselves were racist and eventually calling for Wins's removal.
Furness served in the Marine Corps for 36 years, retiring in 2023 as a three-star general. He had been rumored as the board's pick for the job since the spring, after the board decided not to extend Wins's contract, but was chosen after the governing body formed a selection committee with alumni and students and hired an outside firm.
'The committee's search process was transparent, inclusive, and, above all, thorough, screening hundreds of candidates, interviewing six, and conducting on post visits with three finalists,' the school said in a statement.
Furness said in a statement he was 'thrilled' to return to his alma mater as its new leader.
'I am indebted to the Institute for molding me into the man I am today, and it is an immense honor to give back and serve the VMI community as Superintendent,' he said.
Furness, originally from Columbus, Ohio, majored in history at VMI before entering the Marine Corps. There, he served as a senior military officer in Djibouti and later helped oversee operations around the world, managing more than $2 billion in assets. He also earned two master's degrees, including one in military studies from Marine Corps University and another in national security and strategic studies from the National Defense University.
After retiring, he worked at J.A. Green & Company, a bipartisan government relations firm, as executive vice president of defense programs. Furness has not served on any university or alumni boards since graduating, though he was a guest speaker at a VMI dinner in Richmond.
In 2019, Furness received criticism from a junior Marine officer for being a micromanager with a rigid daily routine that mandated 5:30 a.m. reveilles, Military.com reported at the time.
Furness defended his policies in that article, arguing that 'attention to detail' in a Marine's personal life makes for a better fighter.
'Marines in the division … I think they understand, there is an issue here. We may have slipped a little bit; we need to do a better job,' he told the outlet. 'The sergeants remain supportive; they believe we're doing the right thing for the right reason.'
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