Meet our Staff

The Center for Global Justice has three full time staff members, two of whom just started in August 2013. See the bios below to find out a little bit more about who leads the Center.

Craig Stern

Executive Director

Craig Stern joined the Center for Global Justice in the summer of 2013, replacing David Velloney as the Executive Director. In addition to serving as the Executive Director of the Center, Craig also serves as a Professor at Regent Law where he teaches Criminal Law, Jurisprudence, Legal History, and Conflict of Laws.  Before coming to Regent in the late 80’s, Craig served in a variety of legal jobs, ranging from private practice to working on Capitol Hill.

Craig served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Norfolk from 1989-90. From 1985-1989, Craig worked for the Constitutional Law Center as the Special Counsel and Director of Publications. From 1983-1985, Craig was the Associate Editor for BENCHMARK at the  Center for Judicial Studies in Washington, D.C., and Cumberland, Va. Before taking this position, Craig was Counsel to the Subcommittee on Separation of Powers, U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, from 1981-93. And from 1980-1981, he served as the Assistant Deputy Director of the Legal and Administrative Agencies Group of Office of the President-elect Ronald Reagan. Craig also worked in the private sector as an associate attorney in Washington, D.C., at the Wall Street law firm Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Kampelman from 1978-81.

Craig is the author of several books, articles, and notes, including The Coherence of Natural Inalienable Rights, 76 UMKC L. Rev. 939 (2008) (co-authored with Gregory M. Jones); The Common Law and the Religious Foundations of the Rule of Law Before Casey, 38 U. S. F. L. Rev. 499 (2004); Torah and Murder: The Cities of Refuge and Anglo-American Law, 35 Val. U. L. Rev. 461 (2001); and What's a Constitution Among Friends? Unbalancing Article III, 146 U. Pa. L. Rev. 1043 (1998). Craig received his J.D. from the University of Virginia and his B.A., cum laude, from Yale University.

Craig is excited to work with the Center for Global Justice and to challenge law students and the academic legal community to think about human rights and the rule of law from a Biblical perspective.

S. Ernie Walton

Administrative Director

Ernie Walton joined the Center for Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law in August 2013, taking on the role of Administrative Director. Ernie also serves as a member of Regent Law’s adjunct faculty teaching International Law. After graduating from Regent Law first in his class in 2011, Ernie moved to California to take the California bar and practice law. He worked as an associate attorney at the law firm of Tyler & Bursch where he specialized in civil litigation, business contracts, and real estate law. He also simultaneously served as an associate attorney at a non-profit law firm, Advocates for Faith & Freedom, which specializes in cases involving religious freedom.

During his time as a student at Regent, Ernie served as the Notes and Comments Editor of Regent Law Review and clerked for the American Center for Law and Justice. During his summers, Ernie completed the Blackstone Legal Fellowship after his 1L year and served as a mentor for the Blackstone Legal fellowship after his 2L year. Walton was also awarded one of the first Center for Global Justice internship grants in the summer of 2010. He completed his internship in Strasburg, France, at the European Center for Law and Justice where he worked primarily on cases involving religious freedom and the protection of life.

As he takes on his new leadership role at the Center for Global Justice, Ernie hopes that Regent Law students involved in the Center for Global Justice will experience a combination of academic and on-the-ground work that will train them to be legal justice advocates.

Jed Rieke

Project Manager

Jed is 2010 alum of Liberty University with a Bachelor’s degree in Business focusing on Human Resources Management. After graduation, he worked as the human resources manager for a small medical supplies company. During the summer of 2011, Jed worked part-time in the accounts receivable department at Tidewater Community College and volunteered at the Center for Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law. In January 2012, he was officially welcomed to the team as the Project Manager for the Center.