Rippert “Rip” Roberts, III ’08, ’09 chose Shenandoah after the great experience he had on campus when he was recruited to play football. He also thought the university would give him the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities.
Roberts was a member of the football team, the president of the Black Student Union and a mentor for Men United for Excellence while studying at the university. Some of his fondest memories during his time at Shenandoah are meeting his wife, Emily Jordan Roberts ’09, winning a USA South Football Championship, hanging out at the Allen Dining Hall on Sunday mornings and winning the Intramural Basketball Championship
After graduating from Shenandoah, Roberts took a position with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and has been with the organization for more than 11 years. He has been involved in acquisition of various types from construction and environmental services to foreign military sales. Roberts is currently the regional director for small business programs for the North Atlantic Division headquarters in Brooklyn, New York.
“The US Army Corps of Engineers is essentially the Nation’s Engineering firm and the opportunity to work in an environment that is mission-focused with an ever-changing landscape presented the perfect opportunity for me,” said Roberts.
The most rewarding part of his career is working on emergency response actions, including recovery efforts from Superstorm Sandy, and most recently assisting with COVID-19 Pandemic providing Alternate Care Facilities throughout the North East.
Roberts believes his time at Shenandoah helped him reach his career goals by preparing him to multitask, make plans and execute them, and showing him to value the process even when he couldn’t see it.
In being a member of the Shenandoah University Alumni Association Board of Directors, Roberts is excited to have a connection with students and have an opportunity to directly make an impact on them, especially since he was a first generation college student himself. “I didn’t understand how good I would feel about giving back until I did,” said Roberts.
He is also the founding president of the Shenandoah University Black Alumni Network, saying that it has been one of the most fulfilling things he has done and that he is grateful to be a part of history.
He and Emily live in New York with their two children, Eleanor, and Rippert IV.