
The Center for Public Safety and Justice is thrilled to have recently welcomed William Paige as Program Manager. William sat down with us to share a bit about his background - read on to get to know William!
Give us a little overview of your background.
I was born and raised in Prince George’s County, Maryland – a great suburb directly east of Washington, D.C. I grew up doing too many things: basketball and baseball with the Bowie Bulldogs Boys & Girls Club and playing a few different instruments like the trombone and saxophone. I left the DC Metro area for undergrad, but I came back as soon as possible after graduation.
What you like to do for fun?
For fun, I enjoy reading non-fiction, watching movies and working out. I am also currently failing at learning the guitar.
What has your career journey been like so far?
I’ve worn a few hats in my career. As a criminal-justice major in undergrad, I knew I wanted to spend time with a large police department. I was able to work in a civilian role at the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia, specifically in community relations and volunteer coordination.
I spent some time doing campaign work at the state and local level. The work was fast-paced and exciting, but I liked the policy work and messaging related to different issues. Some of the memorable policy issues included gaming and casino laws, development and zoning and public safety.
I was appointed to an excepted-service position in the Executive Office of the Mayor of Washington, D.C.: first on the federal policy team, then in a personnel and cabinet management position. Staffing the Mayor at events like the Independence Day Parade and D.C. Pride Parade was always a great way to connect with the community.
I then went back to hit the books at Georgetown University Law Center. Among other things, I was a proud student attorney in the Federal Legislation Clinic, where I advised our clients on federal anti-hunger policy and advocacy.
After law school, I went into private legal practice at a top-50 international law firm; I was largely doing antitrust and competition work with some civil litigation. As someone with a public-service mindset, I appreciated the firm’s commitment to pro bono and its strong networking of existing pro-bono clients. The most memorable was probably my work and training with the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project.
Talk about your new role at SCPS. How does it contribute to our larger mission?
The Center is new and rapidly expanding with a lot of moving parts. We've launched a new Board of Advisors, built out a monthly panel series for 2025, and planned numerous public safety education and leadership events on the horizon. In my role as Program Manager, I help bring ideas into reality in a realistic and meaningful way. Although every day looks different, every day works toward advancing the Center’s three core pillars: education, networking and research.
What attracted you to this role? What are you most excited about?
I saw that the University of Virginia had launched the Center for Public Safety and Justice with a panel event towards the end of last year. The panel had amazing heavy hitters from all aspects of the public-safety world, and I knew it was the real deal. I did more research on the Center’s mission, and I was all in.
The Center is unique and new – it’s navigating the public-safety industry in an incredible way. We’re moving fast, and I’m glad to be a part of it.