Longtime donor's giving helps to strengthen educational leadership

In December 2024, Mary Ann Wright, Ph.D. (M.Ed.’84, Ph.D.’97), made a generous gift to help start the VCU School of Education Leadership Coaching Lab. The lab provides individualized and group coaching to alumni, graduate students and local education leaders. More than 320 alumni of the school’s Department of Educational Leadership lead K-12 schools, and more than 250 work in leadership roles in higher education. 

The lab’s leadership coaching helps participants set goals, enhance decision-making skills and develop resilience. As a result, they become more confident, self-aware and emotionally intelligent. 

Wright knows firsthand that leaders benefit from support. In the first 15 years of her career, she worked as an elementary school teacher, then as a principal in Goochland County. From 1987 to 1992, she served as the inaugural director of VCU’s Principals Assessment and Development Center, where she worked with area school districts to help develop educators who aimed to become principals. (The center has since closed.) She then earned her Ph.D. in educational leadership and became a consultant for schools and businesses. 

“Having a mentor or coach can be so helpful when you’re in a leadership role,” Wright says. 

“In today’s fast-changing world, leadership isn’t just about managing responsibilities — it’s about navigating complexity, inspiring teams, and driving meaningful change,” says Whitney Newcomb, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Educational Leadership. “Mary Ann’s generosity will shape the future of education.” 

Wright has been a loyal donor to the School of Education for almost 40 years. She has given to the annual fund, and in 2014, she endowed the Mary Ann Wright Scholarship in Educational Leadership. That scholarship is awarded to undergraduate and graduate students in the School of Education who plan to pursue a career in K-12 school leadership and demonstrate financial need.

Wright also gives to other local causes and serves on several non-profit boards. In so doing, she models the importance of philanthropy for her two grown daughters. “I want them to understand that if you're blessed enough to have some money, you need to make an impact on others in a positive way,” she says.