Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG – Virginia Tech's André Davis and Reyna Gilbert-Lowry have been selected as recipients of the 2022 Atlantic Coast Conference UNITE Award, which was created to honor individuals affiliated with the league who have made an impact in the areas of racial and social justice. The announcement was made Thursday by the conference office.
The UNITE Award is an initiative of the ACC's Committee for Racial and Social Justice (CORE - Champions of Racial Equity) and was developed and approved by its 15 member institutions.
The UNITE Award is presented annually to individuals who:
- Best exemplify ACC CORE's mission to promote and encourage racial equity and social justice through education, partnerships, engagement and advocacy;
- Have helped create meaningful, lasting change by improving systems, organizational structures, policies, practices and attitudes;
- Have been a pioneer and/or helped pave the way for minorities either at the institution or in the community
Each school selects its two recipients based on the above criteria and can choose to celebrate their selections at campus events throughout the academic year.
Davis, a two-sport standout, caught 103 passes for 1,986 yards and 18 touchdowns during his four seasons (1998-2001) with the Hokies. In 1999, Davis set the single-season school record for receiving yards with 962, helping Tech to the national championship game.
On the track, Davis set four Tech career marks in the sprints. He won the 100- and 200-meter dashes at the Atlantic-10 Outdoor Championships in 1998 and defended both titles in 1999 and 2000. In addition, Davis won four indoor championships during those years.
A second-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in the 2002 NFL Draft, he became one of the NFL's top kickoff return men. In 2012, Davis was inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame and was chosen as the Virginia Tech representative in 2013 to be an ACC Legend.
In 2014, Davis co-founded, 2LiveBeyond Foundation, which focuses on the care of disadvantage children, whether due to illness or poverty, in both the United States and other countries with the mission to teach the leveraging spheres of influence with the message: "2 Live Beyond ourselves so others may dream beyond their circumstances."
He has worked with Africa New Life Ministries whose mission is to bring accessible, high quality, medical and dental care to children in Kigali, Rwanda by creating Christian healthy outreach. Davis embodies Virginia Tech Athletics' core values of integrity, honor, excellence, and service through his life, actions, and work with his Foundation.
In 2016, Tech announced an undisclosed philanthropic gift from Davis to help support the Hokies' Leadership Institute and the football program. The institute is comprised of two main components, including Leadership Culture, a speaker-series designed to expose student-athletes to high-level concepts on leadership. The second factor is the Global Sports Program, which offers student-athletes a for-credit study abroad opportunity geared toward those who wish to better understand the positive and humanitarian role sport can play in international development and society.
Davis currently serves as the Director of Student-Athlete Support and Community Engagement within the Virginia Tech Department of Athletics where he promotes the mission and goals of the athletics department and works in conjunction with Tech's Office of Student-Athlete Development, which helps the Hokies' student-athletes prepare for life after graduation.
Davis and his wife, Janelle, have four children: Daylen, Bryce, Laila and Noelle and the family currently resides in Delaware.
Gilbert-Lowry, who was recently promoted to Senior Associate Athletics Director for Inclusive Excellence and Alumni Engagement, has led the call to inclusive action within Virginia Tech Athletics. Furthermore, she has shown specific care for Tech student-athletes in their journey to curate their feelings into expressing their voice and turning their voice into action.
Gilbert-Lowry has championed many efforts in her role as chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Council for Virginia Tech Athletics. These efforts aim to create a culture of inclusivity for both department employees as well as student-athletes. She embraces the tremendous load with such grace and patience, knowing she's impacting an entire culture.
Gilbert-Lowry established Hokies All. In., a diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging initiative that was created to provide a space for Tech student-athletes to share commonalities, learn from differences and create community in familiar environments.
In 2020, she spearheaded the #LOVE Project, the department's program to amplify the voices of VT student-athletes to send a message of unity to the student-athletes, campus, staff and community. Last spring, she worked alongside the external team to implement the #LOVE: Our Black Community initiative, an extension of the #LOVE project, that focused on the black community within Virginia Tech and the New River Valley – highlighting black leaders, achievers, student organizations, artists and athletes all throughout the month of February in recognition of Black History Month.
Gilbert-Lowry has also worked to support the VT Student-Athlete Advisory Committee's student-athlete-led Awareness to Action Unity Walk during ACC Unity Week in October 2021 and the Rise and Unite Student Leadership Panel discussion in April 2022, which featured Hokie student-athletes and student leaders from across the Virginia Tech community.
In addition, she has collaborated with campus partners in the Cultural and Community Centers and Office of Inclusion and Diversity to host town hall discussions and educational workshops for student-athletes, coaches, and staff that focused on race, diversity, equity, allyship, and microaggressions in an effort to enhance the culture of inclusion within the department.
In the fall of 2022, Gilbert-Lowry launched the Black Athlete Alumni Network with the goal of providing comprehensive opportunities for Virginia Tech's black student-athlete alumni to engage with one another, Virginia Tech Athletics and the campus community.
Employed at Virginia Tech since 2008, Gilbert-Lowry is intentional about the programming that is selected for the department and prioritizes quality over quantity. Her goal isn't to fulfill industry requirements; she is developing and cultivating real change within the athletic department.
Gilbert-Lowry was a four-year letter winner at Northern Illinois, where she was a member of the women's gymnastics team. She was named the MVP her senior season. She currently represents Virginia Tech as a member of the ACC Women's Soccer, Women's Gymnastics, and Student-Athlete Welfare committees and is a 2018 graduate of the NCAA Dr. Charles Whitcomb Leadership Institute.
A native of Maitland, Florida, Gilbert-Lowry currently lives in Blacksburg with her husband, Spencer, and their daughters, Brooklyn and Harlow.
The UNITE Award recipients were recognized as part of a 1-hour show on Thursday on SiriusXM ACC Radio, Channel 371 hosted by Chris Spatola and Dalen Cuff.
2022 UNITE Award Recipients
Boston College: M. Quentin Williams and Dr. Constance Smith Hendricks
Clemson: Wayne Jenkins and Barbara Kennedy-Dixon (posthumously)
Duke: Michael Howard and Gracie Johnson
Florida State: Leonard Hamilton and Morgan M. Jones
Georgia Tech: Lucius Sanford and Lynn Houston-Moore
Louisville: Jim Freeman and Valerie (Owens) Combs
Miami: Corey Jones and Lauryn Harris
North Carolina: Charles Scott and Kathy Crawford
NC State: Dr. Marcus Martin and Charece Williams Gee
Notre Dame: Cason Wilburn and Niele Ivey
Pitt: Dr. Bettina Love and Herb Douglas
Syracuse: Dedrick Etan Thomas and Emily Nugent
Virginia: Marques Hagans and Hailey Barnett
Virginia Tech: André Davis and Reyna Gilbert-Lowry
Wake Forest: Jim Caldwell and Charlene Curtis (posthumously)