This semester, we’ve begun a series exploring the history of our college community with an eye toward our future. This week, we’ll be hearing from RJ Warren, an alumnus from the class of 2007 who was recently appointed Council Chief of Staff for the Richmond City Council.
Q: What is your Roanoke story?
A: I grew up in nearby Alleghany County and applied to Roanoke College through early admission during my junior year of high school. It was the only college I applied to. That decision proved transformative. I arrived as a shy kid from the Alleghany mountains, but Roanoke gave me countless opportunities to find my voice and build confidence.
I served as class president during my sophomore and junior years, majored in history, and minored in theater, which allowed me to perform in several productions. I was also a member of Pi Kappa Alpha, worked as an admissions tour guide, and spent time in the college archives. Each of these experiences taught me something different about leadership, collaboration, and connecting with people from all walks of life.
By the time I graduated, I had become genuinely outgoing, with a foundation of meaningful relationships spanning fellow students, staff, and faculty. Roanoke College shaped who I am today.
Q: What is your fondest college memory?
A: My most meaningful memory from Roanoke stems from participating in the summer scholars’ program, where I researched a historical Black cemetery, East Hill Cemetery North. Though this work happened twenty years ago, it fundamentally shaped how I understand and analyze racial history in the Commonwealth today. That summer taught me that history isn’t just found in textbooks, it’s preserved in the places and stories we choose to remember and those we’ve allowed to be forgotten.
Q: Where did you go post-graduation, and where are you now?
A: Two days after graduating from Roanoke College in May 2007, I moved to Richmond, Virginia, where I’ve now lived for nearly 20 years. I began my career at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, serving as Case Manager and Capital Case Coordinator from 2007 to 2019. In that role, I was responsible for managing all appellate capital cases involving the death penalty and scheduled executions, work that demanded precision, sensitivity, and an understanding of the stakes involved.
In 2019, I transitioned to become Deputy City Clerk for the City of Richmond, where I facilitated all City Council meetings and maintained the official record of City legislation. This May, Richmond City Council appointed me as their Council Chief of Staff. In this role, I assist Council in creating and amending local laws, providing policy oversight, and establishing the City’s budget, work that allows me to directly shape the future of the community I’ve called home for two decades.
Q: How has Roanoke prepared you for life after college, and what is the value of education in your life today?
A: Roanoke College’s size proved to be one of its greatest strengths. The intimate environment allowed me to build genuine relationships across diverse backgrounds, with students from different regions and racial backgrounds, with peers whose interests ranged from theater to athletics, and with faculty who became mentors. This wasn’t passive exposure to diversity; it was active engagement that taught me how to connect authentically with people whose experiences differed from my own.
Those skills have become invaluable in my work with Richmond’s government. I regularly navigate complex relationships with City staff, Council members, and the Mayor’s office, while also engaging meaningfully with residents, housing developers, business leaders, advocates, and the press. Each conversation requires understanding different perspectives, priorities, and concerns, exactly the kind of interpersonal agility that Roanoke helped me develop.
Q: What would your advice to current Roanoke students be?
A: Take advantage of every opportunity. I auditioned for my first theater production on a dare and discovered a passion for acting I never knew I had. I took a criminal justice course as a pass/fail elective out of curiosity, and I built a relationship with the professor that directly led to my twelve-year career at the U.S. Courts.
Looking back, the experiences that shaped my life most weren’t the ones I planned. They were the ones I stumbled into because I said “yes” when I could have said “no.” College gives you a unique window to experiment without major consequences. Try the class that sounds interesting. Join the club that seems out of your comfort zone. Talk to the professor after class. You never know which small decision will change everything.
Maggie Raker
Culture, Wellness & Lifestyle Editor
