About Dr. Matthew Willis

Dr. Willis is joining Children at Risk from Colorado where he is a recognized educational leader.  His personal and professional experiences help him understand many of the issues facing our disadvantaged children and their families.  He is a high school runaway, United States Marine, business leader, ally, and advocate for educational equity.  Dr. Willis has a GED, BS in business management, MA in secondary education, EDS in educational policy and administration, trained in school turnaround at the University of Virginia, and has a doctorate from the University of Colorado in Leadership for Educational Equity.  He also holds licenses in Colorado and Texas in social studies, linguistically diverse education, and school principal.

Dr. Willis has worked directly with many diverse populations to challenge the status quo.  Dr. Willis’ school, a highly diverse and economically challenged school, is a nationally recognized Schools of Opportunity and was featured in the Washington Post.  His school was also featured on PBS NewsHour, Nickelodeon News, and research journals and newspapers for its Culture of Care and Restorative Justice program.  His students earned more college credit through their concurrent enrollment program than all but 8 high schools in Colorado and their program was part of stories on CNN and the Wall Street Journal.  Dr. Willis is a dedicated advocate for children, families, and equity, and he looks forward to advocating for the children and families of Texas.