The Cadet Staff

Sources with direct knowledge of this threat claim that Virginia’s House speaker demanded resignation or a change of role for two Virginia Military Institute Board of Visitors members (BOV). If they did not comply, budget consequences would be imposed. The continuation of Lt. General David Furness as superintendent depends on his compliance. Cadet has been investigating and submitted formal questions.

The Cadet received serious allegations from multiple sources who were familiar with the events involving Virginia House speaker Don Scott, D – Portsmouth – allegations that VMI and its alumni organizations had not made public.

Those sources claim that Speaker Scott asked for the resignation of Mr. Teddy Gottwald or the change of role of Col. (Ret.) Jamie Inman. Sources claim that the request wasn’t made in the ordinary course of governance but came with an explicit threat, that if Gottwald or Inman didn’t comply, the Speaker could take adverse action on VMI budget and appropriations during the current legislative session and perhaps future sessions.

There are grave allegations that the legislative appropriations power could be used as a tool of coercion against an independent institution. Cadet investigates.

Sources also claim that the Speaker was told to take the steps as a condition to stop his campaign to force VMI Superintendent Lieutenant General David Furness to resign, and to threaten the budget of VMI, which is now in front of the General Assembly. The Cadet reported on public comments made by members of VMI’s administration. These confirmed that Scott had communicated the conditions relating to Lt. General Furness’s tenure to him directly and separately to Cadet meetings where Scott was present. Furness had to resign in order for Scott to stop his attacks on the Institute.

VMI hasn’t publicly acknowledged these events involving Gottwald or Inman. Neither have the Institute Alumni Agencies commented on Gottwald’s departure as a member of the Board, or Inman’s new role after the The Cadet deadline. As of publication of this article however, information publicly available on the VMI Board of Visitors’ website confirms a significant, unexplained, change in the Board composition.

WHAT THE BOV WEBSITE SHOW AS OF APRIL 22nd, 2026
1. Teddy Gottwald has been removed from the list of Board of Visitors members.
2. Col. (Ret.) Jamie Inman's position is listed as VACANT.
3. The BOV Executive Committee position previously held by Mr. Gottwald has been listed as VACANT.
4. The Board's committee listing does not include Mr. Gottwald or Col. Inman.
5. Gottwald's name is no longer on the list of "Terms and Conditions for Current Members" (updated April 20, 2026).

The Cavalet confirmed Gottwald’s departure from the Board and Inman’s resignation as President. The next president will likely be one of the governors. Abigail Spanberger will be appointed at the meeting April 27 – 29, 2026. The agenda includes “Elections of Board Officers” for the 29th. These departures are noteworthy. Gottwald and Inman were two of the Board’s senior most figures. Inman was the board’s president. After the Board voted to not give Wins another contract, the former Superintendent, his supporters and Speaker Scott attacked both of them personally. The Cadet previously reported that one of these allegations against Inman led former Superintendent Gen. Binford Peay to break his silence by denying it was false.

VMI, VMI Foundation or Alumni Agencies have not made any announcements, statements or provided an explanation regarding the departure of the alumni agencies. All continue to lobby to increase donations from alumni to VMI. Spanberger has not yet commented, despite the fact that he is the commander-in-chief of VMI and the BOV Member who can hire and fire BOV members.

Silence is a story in itself. Normally, institutional leadership changes this significant — especially the vacancy at the Board of Directors — would be announced, with a thank-you for the service and transition plans.

On April 21, 2026 at 9:00 am, The Cadet sent a formal media inquiry on record to Speaker Scott’s office. The inquiry asked four questions directly:

SPEAKER SCOTT’S QUESTIONS – ON RECORD

1. Have you requested the resignations of Col. Inman and Mr. Gottwald from the VMI Board of Visitors? What authority did you use and what was the stated reason for your request?

2. You may have communicated directly or indirectly that the budget or funding of VMI was dependent on resignations, or at other risk.

3. You said you would not press for the resignation of Lt. General Furness unless Col. Inman and Mr. Gottwald were removed from the Board.

4. Have you ever discussed any of these concerns with the Lt. General Furness or VMI Cadet Leadership?

The Speaker’s Office had not responded as of the time of publication. The Cadet contacted Scott’s office to remind him of the deadline, and request a comment. Scott’s office did not respond. The Cadet updates this report when and if a response has been provided. The Cadet will report the full facts if and when the office refuses to respond or declines to make a comment.

If true, the allegations would raise serious concerns about the separation of legislative power from the independence and autonomy of Virginia’s educational institutions. VMI’s budget is subjected to General Assembly appropriation. This is what gives these allegations weight. It would be unusual for a state-supported institution to use funding authority, or any other form of coercion, as leverage in personnel decisions. This would also have constitutional significance. In addition, Gov. Spanberger has recently appointed former VMI Superintendent Major Gen. Cedric WINS to the Virginia Commission on Higher Education Board Appointments. This puts him on a body of state that influences the selection of candidates for VMI’s Board of Visitors.

These events are the result of Spanberger’s amendment to HB1377, which eliminated the legislative Task Force for VMI. Scott would then have the control over most of the appointments. The inquiry was instead shifted to the BOV. Spanberger’s amended HB1377 also removed the line of inquiry regarding Scott and Wins allegations that the Board terminated the tenure of Major General Cedric Wins due to bias. They claimed the Board had done so because of his attempts to address the issues they alleged without evidence were racism, sexual assault and harassment at Institute. Inman as BOV President and Gottwald as Vice President would have played a key role in ensuring a transparent, objective review.

Lester Johnson ’95 or Damon Williams ’90 will likely become BOV President. Both were initially appointed by the former governor. Ralph Northam was not reappointed as governor by the former Governor. Youngkin was recently reappointed to the Board. RADM MCKnight ’78, who had nominated Williams as a candidate to take on Gottwald in 2025 for the presidency, will likely renominate Williams. This bid is now bolstered due to a favorable board makeup, Northam’s position as a member of the Board and Wins’ influence over the state board that oversees new BOV appointment. According to the revised HB1377, the new President will be in charge of how the BOV shapes its study and “other areas”.

The story is evolving. The Cadet continues to report.

Send your comment on this directly to the BOV using this link: www.thecadetfoundation.org/action

Editor’s Note: This report was based on multiple sources who had direct knowledge of the described events. VMI administration, VMI Alumni Agencies and Mr. Gottwald and Mr. Inman have not been contacted before publication of this report. However, they may be contacted in the future for further information. Speaker Scott was contacted by email on April 21, 2026 and then by phone immediately afterwards. His representative confirmed that the email had been received and would be forwarded to the Speaker Scott staff. The Cadet sent a final request for comment by email at 0900, April 22, 2026. After a voicemail left before noon on that day, the deadline was extended to 11:00 AM EST. A final email was also sent before 5:00 PM. The speaker or his staff did not respond. This article will be updated with new information as it becomes available.

The Cadet, VMI’s award-winning independent student newspaper, is published by the VMI. This article has been republished by The Cadet with their permission.