Personal Biography

After graduating from Riverside-Brookfield High School near Chicago, I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps where I served on active duty from 1966 to 1970 and with the reserve for another two years. With the help of the G.I. Bill, I later graduated from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois.

I came to Columbia in the fall of 1980 to attend graduate school in the Department of Psychology and found it to be an ideal place for both my education and my family’s future.  After nearly 30 years living in Northeast Columbia, I still feel the same way.  My wife Mahree and I have raised two daughters and a son.  Mahree is the Executive Director of the Missouri Association of Local Public Health Agencies (MoALPHA). Our oldest daughter Sarah is 29 and is a police officer living in Columbus, Ohio. Our youngest daughter Ashley is 25 and is a graphic design manager and an aspiring jewelry designer living near San Mateo, California.  My son Korey is 23 and is a senior at the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, Missouri, studying ceramic engineering.

My 20-year professional career at the University has given me a considerable breadth of experience and analytical skills.  (For my Curriculum Vitae (Word file), go here.) In my former position as director and research coordinator for a major biomedical research program in cardiovascular disease, I had to achieve consensus goals amongst a large group of academics and administrators.  Many of these same skills are necessary to balance neighborhood interests with those of the business and development sectors, in order to achieve workable compromises, citywide.  Empowering stakeholders and bringing them together is a key way to address competing interests.

My early civic involvement and experience in our community led me to seek elected office as the Third Ward City Council Representative in 2007. In the spring of that year, I was elected to that office. I have found that the rewards of voluntary public service are considerable. Effective and democratic local governance is important to all of us.

In my now somewhat limited spare time, I enjoy listening to music, singing in both the University Choral Union and the United Church of Christ Celebration Singers Choir, attending Classical/Blues/Jazz festivals, reading nonfiction, taking photographs, fishing with my son and daughters, and travelling with my wife. These days, I am also finding myself spending increasing amounts of time tending to my Facebook page (For my Facebook page, go here).  Oh, almost forgot playing with (and training) our new ~8 week old puppy, Yogi (For a picture of Yogi, go here.)
Paid for by Skala for Council, Clyde Wilson, Treasurer