Saying yes to service

Deseria Creighton-Barney grew up in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, just south of Richmond, and though her parents weren’t farmers, they lived a mile off Route 460 with views of rolling farmland, tobacco fields, and livestock a part of their commuting experience.

When Creighton-Barney was accepted to Virginia Tech in 1981, she and her parents made the trip to Blacksburg to attend a university event devoted to Black students who recently were accepted to the school. After arriving, she found herself chuckling at the coincidence occurring.

“I said, ‘My parents have driven me about 3.5 hours from home, and I’m still one mile off 460, and all I see is farmland and animals,’” Creighton-Barney said, laughing. “I said, ‘This is not what I envisioned college being.’”

Yet the familiarity of the setting, the overwhelming size of Lane Stadium, and the friendliness of the people led Creighton-Barney to choose Virginia Tech as the place to earn her college degree.

And in a certain sense, the university has been her home ever since.

Never one to turn down an opportunity to support her alma mater, Creighton-Barney ’86 these days serves a critical role as one of the tri-chairs of the steering committee for Boundless Impact: The Campaign for Virginia Tech. In March 2023, the university announced the naming of Creighton-Barney, Liz Lazor ’15, and J. Pearson ’87 as the new tri-chairs, and together, they lead the university’s ambitious $1.872 billion fundraising campaign designed to drive forward major initiatives and scheduled to run through Dec. 31, 2027.

Creighton-Barney received the invitation to participate in the campaign’s leadership role two days after suffering a health scare that resulted in a two-night hospitalization. Angela Hayes, Virginia Tech’s associate vice president for advancement and campaign director, went to Creighton-Barney’s home to check on her following her release from the hospital, and as the hours passed between the two friends, Creighton-Barney commented that she needed to let Hayes go so she could safely make the three-hour drive back to Blacksburg.

“Well, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about,” Hayes said.

Creighton-Barney said yes, as she always does and always with the support of her husband, Gary, the “cheerleader” of all her Virginia Tech activities. She had just completed a productive tenure as the president of the Virginia Tech Alumni Association board of directors, becoming the first Black female ever to serve in that capacity at Virginia Tech. She helped to create the Black Alumni Society and increased the ever-growing number of engaged Hokies.

In addition, Creighton-Barney serves on the Alumni Advisory Board of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences and has also served on the Virginia Tech Foundation board of directors.

“People ask me all the time, ‘What is it about Virginia Tech?’” Creighton-Barney said. “And I always say, ‘I can’t accurately put Virginia Tech into words,’ and I mean that in the most flattering way. There’s something special about Tech. There’s something special about the students. There is something special about Blacksburg, and as cliche as it sounds, it really does embody the spirit of Ut Prosim.

“I work in human resources, and I’m always trying to be of service to someone. I think that is what Virginia Tech embodies, and I feel that’s who I am.”

Her willingness to serve may come as a surprise considering the many challenges she faced while attending Virginia Tech. During her sophomore year, her mother passed away from cancer. Creighton-Barney decided to leave the university, but her great aunt — a woman who was like a grandmother to her—convinced her to return to Virginia Tech.

Then, in the spring of 1984, Creighton-Barney was diagnosed with mononucleosis, more commonly known as mono. The illness, which typically lasts four to six weeks, forced the communications major to miss out on the summer internship that would have aided her dream of becoming a sports broadcaster.

Finally, just before Creighton-Barney graduated, she lost her great aunt — almost two years to the day after her mother’s passing.

“When I finished, I was struggling. I was depressed,” Creighton-Barney said. “I just wanted it to be over. I said, ‘When I leave campus, I’m never coming back to Blacksburg.’ I laugh because I think about how much I come back to Blacksburg now.”

Creighton-Barney, who lives outside of Richmond today, may not have become a sportscaster on ESPN, but she found a career of utmost importance and one arguably more fulfilling. Those who work in human resources are of vital importance to an organization, especially to the employees who often reach out for personal and professional insight, and Creighton-Barney takes her role seriously.

“When it comes to my position, it is my job to keep the ‘human’ in human resources,” she said.

Rest assured, she takes that same approach when serving in various capacities for her university. She understands that her role as a tri-chair is to help raise money, but from a deeper perspective, the goal is to ensure the students of tomorrow become future success stories.

For a woman from the rural farmlands of central Virginia, this Virginia Tech mission is yet another one worthy of her devotion.    

“The university’s and mine,” she said, “Our values align.”