Two accomplished alumnae will be the featured speakers at the University of Mary Washington’s 2019 commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 10, and Saturday, May 11.
Terrie L. Suit, chief executive officer for the Virginia Realtors, will speak at the graduate ceremony Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Dodd Auditorium, George Washington Hall. Ann Elizabeth Guthrie, chief of communications for the National Gallery of Art, will deliver the undergraduate address Saturday at 9 a.m. on Ball Circle. Both ceremonies will take place on the Fredericksburg campus.
Terrie L. Suit
A former Virginia delegate and state official, Terrie Suit is chief executive officer for the Virginia Realtors. She began her real estate career in 1985 as a real estate agent and later transitioned into a 20-year mortgage lending career. In her current position, she also has served on multiple committees with the National Association of Realtors.
In 2011, Suit was appointed by Virginia’s Governor as the commonwealth’s first Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security. As an Army daughter and a Navy wife, Suit worked diligently to fulfill the Governor’s goal of making Virginia “the most veteran-friendly state in the nation.” She also received a gubernatorial appointment to the Virginia Real Estate Board in 1996.
Suit served in the Virginia House of Delegates with the 81st District from 2000 to 2008. During her tenure, legislative peers recognized her as an expert on housing policy that included real estate licensure, common interest communities, landlord tenant issues, real estate finance, foreclosure, and building and fair housing issues. As a delegate, she served on a number of committees, including chair of the General Laws Committee, the Housing Sub-Committee and the Virginia Housing Commission.
She earned a master of business administration from Mary Washington in 2016, after receiving a bachelor’s degree from Old Dominion University. Suit also holds the Certified International Property Specialist designation and the Certified Association Executive certification.
Ann Elizabeth Guthrie
Ann Elizabeth (Anabeth) Guthrie has been with the National Gallery of Art for 16 years, four as chief of communications. Prior to her current role, she held positions as senior publicist and deputy press officer.
Before joining the National Gallery of Art, she spent five years with the Smithsonian Institution, working in various capacities, from public affairs assistant and specialist with the resident associate program, to manager and acting director of public relations with the Smithsonian’s traveling exhibition. After graduation, she held a year-long position preparing exhibits for the Mary Washington Galleries.
Guthrie received a bachelor’s degree in art history in 1997 from Mary Washington, where she was awarded an individual study research grant.
She is a board member of the American Alliance of Museums and the Public Relations Society of America. She was selected for the National Gallery of Art’s leadership program, 2010-2012. Guthrie also illustrated the children’s book A Katie Dog Day on Nantucket.
Wow I am very impressed congrats!