Eagle spirit was on the breeze at the Summer Brunch at Airlie on Saturday, August 2.  

Amid blue skies and rolling hills, the event brought together nearly 100 American University alumni and community members for a farm-to-table brunch, panel discussion, and special raise-a-paddle fundraiser which raised over $30,000 for the AU Fund for Student Support. 

Few sites could play a more perfect host for this outdoor summer soirée than Airlie.  

Set on more than 300 acres with landscape and lake vistas, the Warrenton, Virginia property includes the historic Airlie House, guest rooms, and meeting facilities. Its 95-acre Berkshire Farm is renowned for its organic produce and pasture-raised meats.  

The Airlie Foundation gifted the property to AU in 2016, inspired by the university’s parallel history of advancing knowledge, community, and the environment.  

Since then, AU has leveraged the property’s opportunities for experiential learning and community wellbeing. 

Produce from Berkshire Farm is enjoyed on campus in the Terrace Dining Room, the Market food pantry, and weekly subscription program. The grounds serve as a real-world classroom for students to engage with food security and agriculture, as well as nature photography. The annual AU-Airlie 5K Fun Run Race and Fall Festival was launched in 2023 and is on course to celebrate its third year this autumn.  

Still, no official AU alumni event had been held at the property until this month’s brunch—a motivating factor for the AU Alumni Board (AUAB) in their planning. 

“This event started [as] a discussion that became a vision, a vision that became a plan, and a plan that has become this magnificent reality we're experiencing together,” shared AUAB President Patty Caballero.  

AUAB members and attendees took advantage of the discounted Airlie room rate for AU alumni to make for a weekend getaway. The brunch menu showcased the farm-fresh offerings, complete with bubbly mimosas. And the program centered on the collective impact of the AU alumni community, student thriving, and philanthropy. 

Opening remarks from AU’s new Vice President of University Advancement Matthew  Eynon underscored alumni engagement for AU’s future.  

“Great universities have great resources and valuable assets,” said Eynon. “AU is a great university and you—its alumni community—are one of its most valuable and visible assets, and one of its greatest resources.” 

This sentiment was echoed by CFO, Vice President and Treasurer Bronté Burleigh-Jones, Kogod/BSBA ’91, MBA ’93, herself a Double Eagle and classmate of Caballero. 

Burleigh-Jones dubbed Airlie her “happy place” and encouraged alumni to not only “take in the spirit of Airlie,” but to return to campus and “explore the updates to our grounds and many of our buildings, including the Mary Graydon Student Center and the soon-to-open Meltzer Center and Sport Center Annex.” 

A highlight of the program was a fireside chat with AU Athletics featuring Director of Athletics and Recreation JM Caparro, Men’s Basketball Head Coach Duane Simpkins, and Women’s Basketball Head Coach Kelly Killion. Attendees were treated to alum David Aldridge, SOC/BA ’87, acclaimed sports journalist and Senior Columnist at The Athletic, as moderator. 

The panelists and Aldridge agreed that one need look no further than this past year’s Patriot League Championship and March Madness ticket by the men’s basketball team as proof of AU pride. 

Aldridge attributed the energy felt on campus and at watch parties to sport’s communal DNA—where wins and losses are shared by student-athletes and collective alumni memory alike. Reprising Burleigh-Jones's invitation, the coaches encouraged the audience to come back to campus, cheer on Eagles from the stands, and let today’s students see alumni invest their time and support in their success. 

Following the panel, Caballero teamed up with fellow AUAB member and event co-chair Toby McChesney, SPA/BA ’02, for a spirited fundraiser for the AU Fund for Student Support. With paddles raised high and cheering applause, the sunny tent was, in Caballero's words, a “force for transformation.” 

“Today we come together to rally in support of our students—our future alumni,” she said. “Because every student deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential, and every graduate should have the foundation they need to change the world.”