The UVA Batten School community is deeply saddened by the passing of Congressman Gerry Connolly, a cherished friend and colleague of many faculty and staff, a mentor to innumerable students and alumni, and an inspiring example of public service leadership.

Connolly was serving his 9th term as the representative of Virginia’s 11th district; he was widely regarded for his advocacy of federal workers and his work on cybersecurity, technology, and government oversight. The Center for Effective Lawmaking, a joint project of UVA Batten and Vanderbilt University, ranked him as the single most effective member of the 117th Congress.

At Batten, Connolly enriched an entire generation of students — teaching, mentoring, and training them, and sending them on to careers in public service. At times he even hired them, the highest compliment of the caliber of our school’s graduates. 

For more than a dozen years, Connolly, a Democrat, shared his time with the Batten community as a guest speaker, pairing up with a Republican member of Congress for a lively policy discussion. They sometimes veered into disagreement and debate, but always modeled civility and respect for the student audiences in attendance. 

“It’s a wonderful legacy that he leaves for our whole community, as someone who embodied the values and virtues that we aspire to impart in our every action at Batten,” said professor Gerry Warburg. 

“He was a great friend and colleague of many years. No D.C. official did more to help launch Batten,” he said. “He even sent us his brilliant daughter.” Caitlin Connolly graduated in 2014 with a master’s degree. 

The Batten School sends our sincerest condolences to Congressman Connolly’s family, friends, colleagues, staff, and constituents. 

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