Meet Our Team
Jade Griffin
Founder & CEO
Jade Griffin started the mvmnt. to give Illinois State University students an opportunity to stand up for what is right and sit down to discuss the issues. The organization was originally organized campus-based events and discussions about inequities so students could step outside their mindsets and stand to understand differing opinions. In the last year, the mvmnt. has begun extending its reach to encompass underserved youth in the Chicago area; aiming to give these individuals a voice, advancement opportunities, and a safe space to discuss the issues most important to them.
Jade has received her Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice Science from Illinois State University. She is a Youth Development Professional at the Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington Junior High, a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, as well as a member of the Rainbow Push Coalition.
Ryland Watts
Treasurer
Ryland Watts is an audit & assurance agent for Deloitte & Touché LLC. He first became acquainted with the mvmnt. while attending Illinois State University and joined the organization to better the progression of minorities and to change generational curses that surround minorities.
Ryland holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and business information systems from Illinois State University and is planning to take his CPA exam within the next year. He is also is a member of the Illinois Army National Guard.
Whitney Mittons
Board Member
Whitney Mittons is the Coordinator of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at Kankakee Community College. She has seven years of experience in higher education and student affairs and is passionate about building bridges with others to pursue an anti-racist and liberated future for all.
Whitney holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Illinois State University and a master’s Degree in Organizational Leadership form Olivet Nazarene University.
David C. Lane
Board Member
David C. Lane is an assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice Sciences at Illinois State University. Rutgers University Press recently released his monograph, “The Other End of the Needle: Continuity and Change among Tattoo Workers.” Broadly, David’s research focuses on tattoo work, labor, and the changes to cultural production in capitalist systems, crime in relation to natural hazards, art theft, and constructionist approaches to social problems. His worked has been cited in Deviant Behavior and the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction.
David is on the Nominations Committee of the Society for the Study of Social Problems, is a member of the Justice 21 Committee, and also serves as the Chair of the Body Art and Images area of the Mid-Atlantic Popular and American Culture Association.
David holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Delaware. In his free time, he enjoys getting tattooed, and hanging around people who are engaged in solving the problems that affect us.