Senior Tanner Lockhead’s campaign for undergraduate Young Trustee is all about bringing people together.
A public policy and political science major, Lockhead currently serves as vice president of Durham and regional affairs for Duke Student Government and is an active member of Blue Devils United. He is also a former columnist for The Chronicle as well as a Benjamin N. Duke Scholar.
Born and raised in Durham, Lockhead noted that his entire life has been defined by Duke and its impact on the local community.
“I grew up with this University,” he wrote in an email. “Duke and Durham are in a massive period of transformation, and I bring the perspective of someone who has experienced that transformation firsthand.”
He explained that during his time as an undergraduate, he has worked to build bridges—both between Duke and Durham and between identity groups on campus. He has helped establish an on-campus voting site, in addition to leading an LGBTQ-Christian discussion group and serving as a facilitator for Common Ground.
Lockhead has also served as a representative on the Institutional Advancement committee of the Board of Trustees, which reviews the University's strategic planning and fundraising. This experience has prepared him to be an effective student voice and has given him a unique lens into University issues, he noted.
Issues relating to Duke and the community are ongoing, Lockhead explained. Growing up in Duke’s backyard has shown him firsthand how the University’s evolution can deeply affect the lives of families and individuals on campus and beyond.
“Durham roots are rare at Duke, and they’re nonexistent on the Board,” he wrote. “This is my home, and it’s where I’ll be after graduation. No Young Trustee can communicate student perspectives well if they only fly in for one or two weekends per year. If you want a Trustee who can meaningfully bridge students with the Board, regular contact with students really matters.”
Lockhead emphasized how quickly Durham and the local region is changing and said that the problems students face are evolving as well.
“We have lost focus on Duke’s place in Durham, North Carolina and the South," he wrote. "Investing in our community isn’t just about Duke’s values, but also about capitalizing on untapped potential."
Expanding access and socioeconomic diversity should also be one of Duke's priorities, Lockhead noted, adding that many local students forego applying to the University because they believe it is not affordable.
“Duke must adopt a multifaceted approach, from prioritizing financial aid expenditures over capital projects to on-campus support systems,” he wrote.
Annie Adair, chair of the Young Trustee Nominating Committee during the 2015-16 year, expressed her support for Lockhead, reflecting on his background and community involvement.
“[Tanner] cares about open dialogue amongst groups, no matter their identity, and working to understand various perspectives and listen to them carefully, even if they differ greatly from his own,” she wrote in an email.
She noted that his connection to Durham and advocacy on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community will allow him to provide a necessary perspective to the Board.
“In all my years on the YTNC, there have been only a few people to genuinely want to make Duke better,” Adair wrote. “Tanner is one of those people—for him, Duke is always number one—and I'm excited to see how incredible of a trustee he is going to be.”
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