Alex Beard

Key Responsibilities

• W&M One Network Product Management
• Alumni Career Development
• Alumni Professional Engagement
• W&M @ Work (Professional Network Strategy)

About Alex

Alex Beard is the Associate Director of Alumni Careers & Professional Engagement at William & 玛丽, where he supports career development, mentoring, and lifelong connections across the university’s global alumni network. He serves as product manager for W&M One Network and co-developed W&M@Work, a strategic initiative designed to strengthen engagement within alumni communities organized by workplace, region, and industry—promoting career growth and fostering meaningful support networks.

Alex brings a dynamic background in public affairs, community development strategy, and relationship-building. Before joining W&M in 2023, he led the Federal Reserve Financial Services (FRFS) Speakers Bureau, where he designed and managed a national external engagement framework and expanded the Fed’s Key Influencer portfolio through partnerships with Fortune 500 companies, trade associations, and more.

Earlier in his career, Alex spent over a decade with Loudoun County Government, focusing on young adult trajectories and the development of community-based programs. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts from Virginia Tech, with an emphasis on public dialogue, design thinking methodologies, applied improvisation, and the arts for social change. Passionate about building inclusive, people-centered systems, Alex is proud to help create opportunities for the William & 玛丽 community to thrive—personally and professionally.

Personal Interests

Alex is passionate about the arts and improvisational theatre. He founded Virginia Tech's first long-form improvisational theatre ensemble and further honed his skills through studies at iO and the Second City Conservatory in Chicago. Over the past 15 years, Alex has taught, directed, and performed professionally at prestigious venues such as the Kennedy Center, UCB Theatre, Second City, iO, and the Washington Improv Theater, among others. Since 2009, he has leveraged his expertise in improvisational theatrical methods as a consultant and training facilitator for businesses, nonprofit organizations, and the public sector.