Racism, Justice, and Community Resilience

With a master’s degree in Strategic Intelligence from the American Military Institute, Chief Mac Babb joined Virginia Tech as the deputy chief of police and assistant director of security in 2015 and was appointed chief of police in 2017. He leads the 68-person department and directs the development and implementation of security strategies and the coordination of security services for all Virginia Tech campuses and programs, including those overseas.

An active police officer since 1990, Babb previously directed the Roanoke Police Academy, supervised the Special Enforcement Investigations units, and served as the team commander on tactical response team. He has also served as an instructor with the Department of Criminal Justice Services since 1995, teaching classes on subjects such as bias-based policing and use of force.

Brandy Faulkner is the Gloria D. Smith Professor of Africana Studies in the Department of Political Science at Virginia Tech.  An award-winning faculty member, her teaching and research focus is on race and public policy and U.S. constitutional law. She encourages her students to exceed their own expectations for leaning, intellectual development, and personal growth.

A recipient of the prestigious Valvoline National Caring Hands Award, given to community leaders across the country engaged in exemplary youth development,  Faulkner is an organizer focusing on racial and economic justice. She is committed to cultivating community-based approaches to problem solving and serves on several state and national organizations dedicated to social, political, and economic change. 

A graduate of Radford University’s School of Communication and resident of Christiansburg, Virginia, Karen Jones is the editor-in-chief of ColorsVA, a magazine that highlights issues relevant to Southwest Virginia’s communities of color.

She is actively involved with organizations promoting diversity, social justice, and community awareness and especially enjoys working with children and youth.  Jones is a member of Asbury United Methodist Church, serves on the board of the Hill School Community Center in Christiansburg, chairs the Political Action committee of the Montgomery County-Radford City-Floyd County NAACP, is assistant secretary of the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP, and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

A veteran civil rights activist, Wornie Reed obtained his Ph.D. in sociology at Boston University and currently serves as a professor of sociology and Africana studies and the director of the Race and Social Policy Research Center at Virginia Tech.

Previously, he developed and directed social science research centers including the William Monroe Trotter Institute at University of Massachusetts-Boston. He also directed the project "Assessment of the Status of African Americans," involving 61 scholars in the production of a four-volume work published by Auburn House Publishers. 

Among his many achievements,  Reed has served as the president of the National Congress of Black Faculty and the president of the Association of Black Sociologists.

Michael R. Williams received a doctorate of education at Northeastern University and currently serves as the assistant director of the Student Success Center at Virginia Tech and as the scholar in residence for NASPA Men and Masculinities Knowledge Community. He also coordinates the Black Male Excellence Network  initiative that is committed to assisting Black men in their identity development, academic achievement, and personal growth.

Williams previously served as the director of the Gwendolyn Brooks Cultural Center at Western Illinois University and the coordinator of the Male Initiative at Norfolk University.

In his work, he challenges students to move beyond their boundaries to seek true learning and understanding of the world around them.