Board of Directors

  • John C. Richards, Jr. , Board Chair

    John C. Richards serves as the board chair of The Witness Inc. As an alum of Morehouse College and Howard University, he is a licensed attorney who teaches at a Historically Black College. He also has a Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary. He is the co-founder of a catalytic organization formed in the wake of Ahmaud Arbery's death and his work has been featured in Time Magazine, The Washington Post, NBC, and NPR.

  • Rev. Shannon E. Polk, Esq.

    Rev. Shannon Polk serves as the President and CEO of the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation. Polk formerly served as the President of The Witness Foundation and brings her expertise to The Witness Inc as a board member. Polk also serves as an associate pastor at Riverside Tabernacle and continues to be a thought leader on the topics of race, gender, class, and faith.

  • Timothy N. Wellback, ESQ

    Timothy Welbeck is the Director of Anti-Racism Research and an Assistant Professor of Instruction at Temple University. A Civil Rights Attorney by training, Timothy is a scholar of law, race, and cultural studies. He earned his J.D. from Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law and his B.A. from Morehouse College. Timothy's scholarly work focuses on contemporary issues of racial identity in America, the intersection of racial classifications and the law in the American context, contemporary African and African American cultural transmissions, retentions, expressions and evolutions, hip-hop as a microcosm of the Black experience, etc. He has lectured nationally and internationally at esteemed institutions. Timothy's work as an attorney and scholar has allowed him to contribute to various media outlets, such as BBC Radio 4, The Philadelphia Inquirer, NPR, The Huffington Post, REVOLT TV, Respect Magazine, and The International Business Times, 900 WURD AM, et al.

  • Dr. Christina Edmondson

    Christina Edmondson holds a PhD in counseling psychology from Tennessee State University, an MS degree from the University of Rochester in family systems, and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Hampton University with an emphasis in race, class, and gender. For over a decade, Christina has served in a variety of roles including most recently as the Dean for Intercultural Student Development at Calvin University. A certified cultural intelligence facilitator, public speaker, and former mental health therapist, Christina is often contacted by churches to consult about leadership development, antiracism, and mental health issues. She is also one of the co-hosts of the Truth’s Table podcast.