Meet a Colleague: Billy Chase Billy Chase is the senior graphic designer in the Office of Communication and Public Affairs.

W&L News Office
December 3, 2025

Q. How long have you worked at W&L?
I’ve been working at W&L since 2007. If my calculations are correct, I estimate I’ve driven about 385,000 miles commuting from Roanoke.

Q. What do you like most about working at W&L?
The people here are great, and I love the flexibility of my job.

Q. Where is your favorite location on the W&L campus?
Walking down the Colonnade on a spring day.

Q. Where did you grow up?
I call Roanoke home. The other places never returned my calls.

Q. What advice do you have for students?
It’s like I always say, “If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.”

Q. What is the most adventurous thing that you have ever done?
The day after I turned 21, I flew in a Cessna 172 plane with “Five Dollar Frank” in West Virginia to conquer my fear of heights. I can’t complain.

Q. What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not working?
I enjoy listening to music and creating music. I try other hobbies now and then, but I always come back to music. Sometimes I think I’m not great at playing music, but I do enjoy it as an act of self-expression. I’m worse at what I do best.

Q. If you could live anywhere, where would you build your dream home?
When I retire, I’d like to live in the Pacific Northwest in a mid-century modern home. Home is where I want to be, but I guess I’m already there.

Q. Who inspires you most?
I relate to the spirit of people who are kind, honest and a little feisty — like punk rock in human form. I wish I was like you.

Q. What book are you reading now?
I’m in between books — “The Art of Direction” by Vincent Wanga and “The Mission of Art” by Alex Grey. I’m not an avid reader and will just pick these up from time to time.

Q. What music are you listening to these days?
I’ve been listening to a lot of music with friends, working our way through the alphabet by exploring an artist’s catalog for each letter. We rotate picking the artist. So far, we’ve hit The Animals, The Beatles, The Chambers Brothers, and Death Cab for Cutie. For the letter E, it may be Elvis or Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), and for F, I’m torn between Faith No More and Fishbone. After each session, we swap reviews about each album and list our top five songs.

Q. What is your favorite film (movie) of all time?
I’m a huge “Back to the Future fan” — I mean, who wouldn’t want to see their parents as teenagers? They filmed part of it on the Universal Studios backlot at Courthouse Square, and my office is also called Courthouse Square. It feels like my little connection to movie history. Not Unmindful of the Future.

Q. What is the website you visit most often and why?
Help Scout. It is how I take care of my coworkers.

Q. If they made a movie about your life, who would play you?
I think Jemaine Clement of Flight of the Conchords would be a great fit – funny with a laid-back nervousness. The movie would be called “Business Time” – the story of a guy who looks vaguely like that other guy in a popular comedy band. It will knock your socks off.

Q. Which historical figure do you most identify with and why?
Miles Davis. I can’t really explain it — “Kind of Blue” says it all. Quiet, powerful and unpredictable — that’s how I try to approach work and creativity. I remember buying that album from Schoolkids Records in Raleigh, North Carolina the day after seeing Elliott Smith and Sebadoh play at the Ritz in 1999.

Q. If you could have coffee with one person, who would it be and why?
Some days, I’d love to have coffee with Dave Grohl. On other days, I’d like to have coffee with friends I haven’t caught up with in a while. One of these days.

Q. Tell us something most people don’t know about you.
Back in 2010 and 2011, my band Mafia Track Suit had songs on the video game Rock Band. Our first Rock Band release was “28 Days” which was a song about zombies.  For a little while, we made more money from the game than from album sales.

Q. What is your secret talent?
It’s not so much a talent; I’m just good at being mysterious.