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Welcome William Paige to the UVA Center for Public Safety

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William Paige joins the UVA Center for Public Safety and Justice

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.