Meet the Team
Henry Clarke '03
Assistant Head of School for Advancement & Chief Development Officer
Class of 2003
Henry was appointed Assistant Head of School for Advancement & Chief Development Officer in 2022 after serving as Head of Advancement (2021-2022), Director of Development (2017-2021), and Director of Major Gifts (2014-2017). Henry oversees VES’ fundraising and admission strategies, external events, and alumni and parent engagement.
Under Henry’s leadership, the development team has raised more than $65 million, increased alumni participation by 130%, parent donor participation by 65%, and The VES Endowment & Trust by 400%.
Inspired by his own VES teachers with whom he shared decades-long friendships, Henry is deeply committed to the VES faculty and serves as an advocate on the Faculty Compensation Committee.
Prior to joining VES, Henry attended The University of Virginia (English) and The University of South Carolina School of Law. During law school Henry served as a summer clerk to The Honorable Michael F. Urbanski, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia, and worked with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and the Virginia Outdoors Foundation to preserve scenic farmland in Kelso, Virginia, through conservation easements.
Henry has dedicated much of his time to working with young people, teaching high school Latin and English and serving as a head counselor and member of the sailing staff at Camp Sea Gull for 13 summers. Henry has served in various volunteer fundraising capacities for The University of Virginia, Camps Sea Gull and Seafarer, and Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest. He has also participated on the Boards of Directors for Preservation Chapel Hill and the Jubilee Family Development Center.
Henry’s brother, Penn Clarke, is a member of the Class of 2005. Henry and his wife, Adeline, live near campus with their sons, Henry (6) and Burwell (4).
Contact Henry: 434.385.3708 | hclarke@ves.org
Katherine McWane Pitts ’12
Director of Major Gifts
Class of 2012
Katherine McWane Pitts '12 returned to VES in January 2022 as Director of Major Gifts. She serves as the chief fundraiser for The VES Endowment & Trust, which helps to provide programs of distinction, scholarships to students, and competitive compensation to faculty and staff. In addition, she serves as a dorm parent on Perkins. After graduating from VES in 2012, Katherine attended The University of Virginia, where she earned a B.A. in American Studies and an M.A. in Teaching. Upon finishing her master's degree, Katherine moved to Wilmington, North Carolina, where she taught for two years before joining the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Development Team as Assistant Director of Annual Giving. During her time at UNCW, Katherine served as the project lead for the university’s one-day giving challenge, while also playing a role in both the public and private phases of the university’s $100 million comprehensive campaign. VES has always felt like a second home for Katherine. Her sister, Holly, graduated in 2009; her mother, Anna, served as the coach of the girls tennis team for several years; and she met her husband, Carson Pitts ’11, while attending VES.
Contact Katherine: 434.385.3621 | kpitts@ves.org
Ron Hood
Senior Advisor
Class of 1974
Ron joined VES in 2011 following years of volunteer service to the school, including Class Agent, Reunion Chair, Division Chair, Alumni Awards Chairman, Alumni Association Chairman and ex-officio member of the VES Board of Trustees. A proud member of the VES Class of 1974, Ron attended West Virginia University in Morgantown and completed the Goizueta Executive Program at Emory University in Atlanta in 1998. His early years were spent in the coal business in southern West Virginia, which led to a career in marketing and sales management. He spent 15 years with Rock-Tenn Company, serving as Director of Marketing and Product Development at company headquarters in Norcross, GA. He and and his wife, Jane, live in Lynchburg and have two grown children, Rachel and Christopher ’04.
Contact Ron: 434.385.3707 | rhood@ves.org
