About

Born in Knoxville, Tenn., Michael Sutphin lived in parts of Tennessee and North Carolina before his family settled outside of Williamsburg, Va. He made several stops to the New River Valley—home to his father’s side of the family—before coming to Virginia Tech in 2002.

In college, Michael took an interest in journalism both in the classroom and the newsroom. He began as a staff writer at the Collegiate Times, Virginia Tech’s independent student newspaper, before accepting a job as news editor in the fall of 2005 and city editor in the spring of 2006. Throughout his time at the paper, Michael wrote numerous articles about higher education, research, student life, government, politics, health, law enforcement, and other topics. He earned two Virginia Press Association awards and the Charlotte Davis Media Service Award, the top student journalism accolade at Virginia Tech. (Read a sample of Michael’s news coverage at the Collegiate Times.)

Michael also served in a variety of leadership roles with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Alliance, one of the largest student organizations at Virginia Tech. As the group’s president in 2005, he co-founded a grassroots campaign that resulted in SafeWatch, an online reporting mechanism that connects students, faculty, and staff with the appropriate authorities and monitors campus climate.

In 2006, Michael graduated from Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in communication and accepted a job as a writer for his alma mater. Since then, the Association for Communication Excellence has twice recognized Michael for his writing about agriculture and the life sciences. A life-long learner, he takes graduate-level courses in Virginia Tech’s Department of English on occasion.

Michael has participated in numerous service projects during his life, whether volunteering with the Big Event or traveling to the Dominican Republic for two weeks to help at a home for Haitian children and teenagers. In 2009, he ran unsuccessfully for Blacksburg Town Council on a platform of downtown revitalization, smart growth, public and alternative transportation, and citizen engagement (read Michael’s candidate statement on the Citizens First website). He continues to stay active in local and regional politics.