Tony Willis named Demopolis superintendent
Anthony Willis became the new superintendent of Demopolis City Schools at a called meeting of the Board of Education Wednesday morning.
Willis, 50, will begin his duties in Demopolis on June 1. He is coming here from Florence where he serves as Supervisor of Accountability and Special Programs.
Willis said he was so impressed with Demopolis and its schools that he turned down the chance to interview as a finalist with another district to accept the superintendent post. “When you know it’s right, it’s right,” he said.
“I’m both excited and honored for the opportunity,” Willis told the board. “As I investigated and did my research on Demopolis, from looking at it from afar, it looked like a really good place.”
After visiting the city, talking with the board and administrators and hearing from friends who lived in the area, “I was even more impressed. Every single avenue I explored just pointed me that this is the right thing to do.”
Willis said he found the Demopolis school system to be “progressive and forward-thinking.”
“In no way am I coming in to fix things,” he explained. “I’m coming in to take what’s already good and find ways to make it better.”
Willis said he comes from a background that has a lot of diversity, and he has worked with different types of students and faculty.
He tries to make curriculum a strength since it is the core of education, but he understands the importance of extra-curricular activities, especially athletics, since he is a former coach and athletic director.
He said most towns revolve around the school system because it is the future of the community.
Willis earned he bachelor’s degree in science education from the University of North Alabama and his masters in instructional leadership from the University of Alabama. He is a doctoral candidate with Marshall University.
Even before he earned his first degree, he was a counselor for male violent criminals at Three Springs Residential Treatment Facility and for adjudicated females at the North Alabama Group Home.
He has been teacher and coach and later the Alternative School Director for Muscle Shoals City Schools; dean of students and athletic director at Mars Hill Bible School; teacher, coach and assistant principal with Limestone County Schools; principal at L.E. Willson Elementary in Sheffield; leadership evaluator and principal mentor at Grand Canyon University and served as an evaluator on the state and national review teams of AdvancEd Review.
He and his wife Lisa, also an educator, have three children and are expecting their first grandchild this week.