Law Alumni Appointments to W&M Board of Visitors
William & Mary Law School alumnus James A. Hixon, J.D. '79, M.L.T '80 has been appointed to the William & Mary Board of Visitors by Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, and Thomas R. Frantz '70, J.D. '73, M.L.T. '81 has been reappointed. Hixon and Frantz join fellow William & Mary Law School alumni DeRonda M. Short, J.D. '78 and Robert E. Scott, J.D. '68 as Board members. Short was appointed in 2013 and Scott, who currently serves as Vice Rector, was appointed in 2008.
James A. Hixon, J.D. '79, M.L.T. '80
Hixon is executive vice president for law and corporate relations at Norfolk Southern Corporation. He has been with the company, in various capacities, since 1985 including vice president of taxation, senior vice president of employee relations, senior vice president of administration, senior vice president, legal and government affairs and executive vice president, finance and public affairs. In his current position he is responsible for legal affairs, federal, state, and community activities, and corporate governance. He is also vice president and executive officer of the Norfolk Southern Foundation. Prior to his time at Norfolk Southern, Hixon served as partner in the Vienna, Virginia law firm of Soutzos & Pierson.
His community involvement is vast. Hixon serves as a trustee on the National Railroad Retirement Investment Trust, chairman of the Board of Directors for the Virginia Arts Festival, and a member of the Governor's Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates in Virginia. He is a former board member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, former member of the VIMS Council and past Rector of Old Dominion University's Board of Visitors.
In addition to his degrees from William & Mary, Hixon holds a B.S. in finance from Virginia Polytechnic Institute.
William & Mary has been a family affair for the Hixons as well. He and his late wife, Robin, have been strong supporters of the William & Mary Law School. Last fall, ground was broken for the James A. and Robin L. Hixon Center for Experiential Learning and Leadership. The center will house all of the law school's clinics as well as the Legal Practice Program, a multipurpose conference room, classroom space, and a new courtroom. Their daughter Kate graduated from William & Mary in 2008.
Thomas R. Frantz '70, J.D. '73, M.L.T. '81
Frantz currently serves as Chairman of the Board for Williams Mullen and maintains a corporate legal practice as a partner representing multi-national corporations, handling major mergers and acquisitions. He previously served as president and CEO of the firm from 2010 to 2015.
Frantz has long been active in civic and educational organizations. He currently serves on the board of the Mason School of Business, the Advisory Board of the William & Mary Business Law Review and the Virginia Business Higher Education Council. In 2009, William & Mary Law School recognized him with their Citizen Lawyer Award, honoring him for his longtime service to the Law School. He is also a member of the Foundation Board of Eastern Virginia Medical School, and is on the Board and Executive Committee of the Virginia Beach Neptune Festival, the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center, the Hampton Roads Business Roundtable and Virginia Beach Vision. Frantz is a former Chairman of the Board of Directors of Virginia Beach Vision, Cape Henry Collegiate School, Virginia Beach Foundation, Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center and the Hampton Roads Partnership.
He was named First Citizen of Virginia Beach by the Virginia Beach Jaycees and received the VOLUNTEER Hampton Roads' Lenora Matthews Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding leadership in community service.
Frantz was first appointed to the Board of Visitors in 2011. He served as secretary of the Board from 2013 to 2015. His daughter, Lindsey F. Noel '08, M.A.Ed. '12, also attended William & Mary.