Charles Badger
Charles was born in Queens, New York and grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. As a student at Berea College, he served as student-body president, editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, was a member of the Berea Ambassadors, and a member of Forensics, Students in Free Enterprise, and Project Pericles “Debate for Democracy.”
While still a college student, Charles interned at the White House (2008), the U.S. Senate (2009), and served a year on the Kentucky Juvenile Justice Advisory Board as an appointee of Gov. Steve Beshear. He served as youth co-chairman for Sen. John McCain’s campaign in Kentucky and was vice chairman of the Kentucky Federation of College Republicans.
After graduating from Berea College in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy, Charles worked in Washington D.C. as a staff assistant for Rep. Marsha Blackburn in the U.S. House of Representatives. In April 2012, he became the political director for the “Andy Barr for Congress” campaign in Lexington, Kentucky. Later, Charles began working for the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs in Trenton, New Jersey as the manager of events and briefings, and served as the director of legislative affairs until August 2015. Subsequently, Charles served as director of coalitions for the “Jeb Bush 2016” campaign in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area.
Currently, Charles is president and CEO of Polis Strategies in the Nashville area. Founded in 2016, Polis is a boutique political and public affairs consulting firm. Specializing in running issue advocacy, grassroots organizing, public relations and political campaigns, the firm’s clients include for- and non-profit organizations, political campaigns, and government officials.
Dr. Charles F. Haywood
Dr. Haywood was the first in his family to attend college. He grew up in Ludlow, Kentucky and learned about Berea College from high school classmates. His interest in economics was sparked by a high school economics course, and Dr. Haywood went on to earn his bachelor’s degree in economics and history from Berea College in 1949. After service in the U.S. Merchant Marines and in the U.S. Army, he earned his master’s degree in economics and political science from Duke University, and his doctorate in economics from the University of California-Berkeley.
As a Berea College student, he was a member of Tau Kappa Alpha and Pi Gamma Mu honor societies, class president in his freshman and junior years, winner of the Florence Essay Prize, and student assistant to Dr. Albert G. Weidler, dean of labor and professor of economics.
As a Berea College alumnus, he served as a Berea College trustee (1981-1998), was a member of the Alumni Executive Council, and the President’s Council. He was president of the Alumni Association (1973-1974) and his service to the College was recognized in 1993 when Dr. Haywood
Dr. Haywood was named dean of the University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics in 1965. He served in that position until 1975 and retired from the faculty and University in December of 2000. He combined teaching, research, administration, and consulting in a career which included assignments in academic, government, and business organizations. He is an economics expert, quoted in news stories about local, state, and national economies, serving as an expert witness qualified in economics, finance, and banking, an author of numerous scholarly articles, and a respected speaker and consultant.
Christian Jalil Motley
Christian Motley earned his bachelor’s degree in African and African American studies and political science from Berea College in 2009 and soon became involved in various political campaigns. He began his career as an organizer for races in Kentucky with the Kentucky Democratic Party including Gov. Steve Beshear’s 2011 re-election campaign. He then moved on to the national political stage, working as a field organizer in Pennsylvania for the Obama 2012 campaign, and he later helped organize the 2013 Presidential Inauguration as a program coordinator for The Alumni Project.
Christian remained in Washington D.C. as an assistant to the deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, then returned to Kentucky, working once again for the Kentucky Democratic Party in Frankfort until he joined the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood for the Commonwealth of Kentucky as deputy executive director. Then, in August 2015, he became the government relations director with the Kentucky Education Association.
In addition to his professional roles, Christian is an active member of his community. He has been a member of the board of directors of Lextran since August 2015 and an advisory board member for the New Leaders Council of Kentucky since August 2014. Furthermore, he and fellow BC alumnus Charles Badger ’11 were asked to share their thoughts about race relations and race transcendence on the KET program Kentucky: Beyond the Color Line in January 2016.
