Talk with anyone that knows Clarence E. Willie, Ed.D, and they will tell you two things: he is well traveled and has experienced a great deal in his life and that he is determined to share what he has learned with those who desire to transform lives, inspire minds and cultivate potential.

Born in Wilmington, North Carolina and reared in a military family, Dr Willie experienced a side of life in the late 1950s and early 1960s that most African-American children did not.  He lived on a U.S. Air Force Base in Germany in a kind of state of cultural suspension, not undergoing the perils of segregation, yet being the only African-American student in his high school graduation class. As a result of his upbringing, time spent in the United States Marine Corps from which he retired as a lieutenant colonel and the culture shock of his re-entry into a segregated south in the early 1960s, he has gained a unique and global perspective on achieving success as an African American here in America and abroad. That insight has inspired and motivated adults and young people with whom he has had the opportunity teach and work. 

Dr. Willie has effectively transferred his military skills to his second career in education. Quickly rising from a teacher to school district superintendent, he has used his leadership experience from both careers to draw some interesting parallels between the profession of education and the military. He believes that the criteria for successful leadership are indeed transferable from one profession to another. Dr. Willie knows that adjusting to the professional or social setting where a particular leadership style is required, takes refinement. He has uses his transitional experiences to provide guidance for those who endeavor to become educators and administrators from other careers. As an educational consultant at the State Department of Education level, Dr. Willie established an office designed to recruit military members for service as educators and his passion for recruiting continues an educational administrator.

His passion for United States history and the contributions of African Americans to the development of our great nation began when he was an undergraduate student and it remains stronger than ever. He conceived the idea for the development of a documentary that chronicles the experiences of the first African Americans recruited and trained to be United States Marines.  The documentary, The Marines of Montford Point, Fighting for Freedom, has aired nationally on the Public Broadcasting Service.  He served as interviewer and chief consultant for the documentary. His most recent accomplishment has been the publication of a book entitled African American Voices from Iwo Jima, Personal Accounts of the Battle. This book seeks to correct that omission for the sake of the brave Americans who served during that iconic World War II battle and for the sake of a more inclusive American history. Eleven veterans contribute their memories and experiences, starting with their youth in the Depression, their enlistment, the battle itself, and their experience of returning to a nation that continued to treat them as second-class citizens.

With a proven track record of success, those who know Dr. Willie will also tell you that he is an excellent communicator and that his warmth, charisma and high energy make him intriguing with the ability to capture the attention of his audiences. Get to know Dr. Clarence E. Willie!