Stewart Hamilton Gamage

Stewart Hamilton Gamage was born in Norfolk, Virginia, on January 17, 1950, and she grew up in Petersburg, Virginia. She died peacefully in Richmond, Virginia, on Tuesday, March 19, after battling complications from a critical illness. Stewart was predeceased by her parents, F. Mason Gamage and Claudia Teass (Ney) and she is survived by her sons, Graves Tompkins (Colleen) and Forbes Tompkins (Caity), and her grandchildren (Brooks, Walker, Teddy and Bryce), as well as her sister, Anne Ferrell Teass Smith (Gary), and her brother, F. Mason Gamage, Jr, and her beloved nephews, cousins and their families. She is also survived by her stepchildren, Ted Stettinius (Sarah), Cricket Stettinius, Virginia McMullan (Mike), and Carolyn Rankin (Johnny). She cared deeply about her friends, family and faith, and she believed fervently in the need and opportunity to empower others through public and non-profit service. She was a faithful member of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, serving on the Vestry and wherever she saw a need.

Stewart was the founder of S. Hamilton Consulting, which focused on women’s leadership, social justice, and racial reconciliation. Prior to that, Stewart served for 11 years as Program Director of Morven at the University of Virginia, which created a Women’s Global Leadership Forum and the Presidential Precinct, where she served on the board and supported initiatives focused on civic engagement, human rights, economic opportunity, and cultural heritage.

Her work and impact spanned a wide range of public and private sector experience. Prior to joining the University of Virginia, Stewart served for almost 15 years as Vice President for Public Affairs at William and Mary. Prior to her work in higher education, she served as Chief Operating Officer of APCO Associates.

Stewart worked as Policy Director in the Office of the House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt, Director of the Virginia Liaison Office and Senior Assistant to Governors Charles Robb and Gerald Baliles, and Associate Deputy of Intergovernmental Affairs at the White House. In 1999, Stewart was appointed to the Commission for Presidential Scholars by President Bill Clinton.

Stewart graduated summa cum laude from William and Mary in 1972 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Arts and she earned a Master of Public Administration from the Washington Public Affairs Center at the University of Southern California in 1979.

Stewart most recently founded Light Up Ukraine, which raised significant funds to provide the soldiers and civilians of Ukraine with more than 2,000 solar lights and 26 refurbished ambulances. She was also a founding director of the Phoenix Project, an initiative to prepare Virginia’s next generation of leadership while building partnerships between higher education and distressed communities. Stewart previously served on the state board of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership and the national board of Women Executives in State Government. She was also a founding member of the board for the Pamela Harriman Foreign Service Fellowships. At William and Mary, Stewart was elected to the Board of the Society of the Alumni and served as Vice Rector of the Board of Visitors. In 2005, she received the Governor’s Award for Community Service from Governor Mark Warner.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in Stewart’s honor are directed to fellowship programs that have been created at William and Mary to advance global diplomacy and public service in Virginia (contribute online at: Impact.wm.edu/Gamage; any checks can be made out to the William & Mary Foundation with “Stewart Gamage Memorial Fund” in the memo section and sent to P.O. Box 1693, Williamsburg, VA 23187).

A funeral service to celebrate Stewart will be held at Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia on April 5 (live streaming available at ccalex.online.church). Stewart led a purposeful and selfless life – she will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her and her impact in Virginia and around the world will be felt for decades to come.