Gerard Robinson is a professor of practice in public policy and law at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and the School of Law at the University of Virginia. As a Fellow of Practice at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia, Robinson has written about K-12 and higher education, public policy, economic mobility, after-school programs, and race. Robinson will teach on education, prisons, and public policy.

Batten alum Monica Logothetis (MPP '09), co-founder of DreamWakers, developed an innovative program called Jail to Jobs to address the problem of high recidivism in the United States.

Police and students can learn from one another if they talk more, according to Batten's Brian N. Williams, an associate professor of public policy.

Relational policing is at an inflection point. The public’s trust and confidence in this vital institution of democracy is suffering. This has had a corrosive impact on police morale and has sparked public protests in Charlottesville and Albemarle County – and, indeed, in communities across the nation. On August 19-20, 2021, the Batten School brought together a cross-section of community leaders and engaged citizens for a workshop to learn about and consider new pathways forward for policing on Grounds, in Charlottesville, and across Albemarle County. 

In a commentary for Bloomberg Law, Batten's Brian N. Williams and co-author Carmen J. Williams, a third-year law student at the UVA School of Law, say the conviction of former police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd marks a turning point. The path forward requires enacting needed reforms and courageous leadership by prosecutors and others.

Throughout our history, the years immediately following military conflicts have often proved rich in reform.

Through the Central Virginia Listening & Learning Exchange, Batten professor Brian Williams and his students are examining the problems of police and community relations and what can be done to resolve them.

“Congressman Lewis exemplifies citizen leadership,” said Allan Stam, former dean of the Batten School. “From his days as a student leader to his co-founding of SNCC to his long career as an elected official, he has selflessly served the public good."

Batten Associate Professor of Public Policy Dr. Brian N. Williams, discusses police-community relations, the Black Lives Matter movement, and equal justice through understanding as a guest on The Finch Podcast. 

“We’re at the intersection of past and present—and we're teetering a bit,” Batten professor Brian N. Williams told an online audience last week. “Evolution or revolution? Reform or riot? Progress or more protests? Should we defund and divest or deconstruct and reconstruct?”