 I'm Professor William Oakes. I'm a professor in engineering education, director of the EPICS program, and a graduate of Purdue's mechanical engineering school. I teach and support black engineers. I like to think of myself as an advocate and ally of black engineers. Recent information that's come to light and recent events have shown me that there are things that I had not seen, things I was not aware of, and things that I've not done. I commit to addressing these and doing better to make Purdue and the world a better place.