Forty years after graduating from the College of William & Mary, an alumni board member will welcome the school’s newest class of undergraduates.
Ted Dintersmith, William & Mary class of 1974, will speak at the college’s Opening Convocation Ceremony Aug. 27. A former venture capitalist, Dintersmith is a partner emeritus with Charles River Ventures. He currently serves on the William & Mary Alumni Association Board of Directors, and helped found the W&M Honors Fellowship program in 2007.
“Ted Dintersmith will inspire the class of 2018,” college president Taylor Reveley said in a news release. “He’s a person of great vision, who’s strikingly creative and entrepreneurially gifted. Ted is also devoted to his alma mater. He will be a marvelous Convocation speaker.”
Dintersmith graduated from William & Mary in 1974 with degrees in English and physics, and received a master’s in applied physics and doctorate in engineering from Stanford University. He worked as a staff assistant for Rep. Edwin Forsythe (R-N.J.), specializing in science and technology policy.
He entered the private sector in 1984 as the general manager of Analog Devices’ Digital Signal Processing Division, and became a venture capitalist in 1987. Dintersmith became a senior partner with Charles River Ventures, and served on the Board of the National Venture Capital Association. From 1995-1999, he was ranked as the top-performing venture capitalist in the United States.
Since retiring from Charles River Ventures, Dintersmith has focused on education issues. In 2012, he represented the U.S. as part of a delegation to the United Nations advocating global education and entrepreneurship.
“I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to address the distinguished entering class for the College of William & Mary,” Dintersmith said in a news release. “They successfully navigated high school and the admissions process, and a wonderful four-year experience awaits them as they prepare to make important contributions to the world as adults.”
The Opening Convocation ceremony is an annual event to welcome new students to William & Mary and to mark the beginning of the academic year. The 2014 ceremony will be held 5:15 p.m. Aug. 27 at in the rear yard of the Christopher Wren Building at William & Mary.
