Lawrence Roberts

Lawrence “Larry” Roberts (Col ’78 L/M) returned to Charlottesville in February 2020 when he was named the fifth director of the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at UVA. Prior to joining Sorensen, Larry served in high level positions with two statewide elected officials and chaired five successful statewide political campaigns. In addition, he was a lawyer in private practice for more than 25 years—winning multiple awards for distinguished service and pro bono work —and founded the Federal Communications Bar Association Foundation, which has distributed millions of dollars in student scholarships and donations to nonprofit service organizations.

Lawrence “Larry” Roberts (Col ’78 L/M) is serving as chief of staff to Virginia Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax. Mr. Roberts chaired Mr. Fairfax’s successful 2017 campaign while also serving as a partner at the Venable law firm. In 2017, he received Venable’s Pro Bono Attorney of the Year and the Federal Communications Bar Association’s Distinguished Service Award, and he was named a 2017 Virginia Leader in the Law by Virginia Lawyers Weekly. He splits his time between Richmond and Tysons Corner.

Lawrence Roberts (Col ’78 L/M) returned to Washington, D.C., to serve as chief of staff to Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine. He previously served as counselor to the Governor in Richmond, Va., and as chairman of Governor Kaine’s successful 2005 gubernatorial campaign.