LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Claude Wilson II was nominated by his colleague, Len Williams.

Mr. Williams is a native of Jackson, MS with an extensive background in the fields of administration and education. He graduated from Jackson State University in 2005 with a degree in business administration, and he has been in the field of education for ten years, spending eight of those years as a classroom teacher. He has taught at Newberry Elementary, Magnolia Elementary, and Jackson Public Schools. His philosophy of education is to provide instructional leadership, as well as an optimal learning environment that is conducive to teaching and learning and ensures academic student growth.  Mr. Wilson is now the new principal of Hawkins Mill Elementary with the Shelby County School District in Memphis, TN.

He has three main priorities in his new position. His first priority is to build positive relationships with the school’s stakeholders, including parents, students, teachers, staff, and community supporters. Next, he aims to identify the school’s strengths, as well as its opportunities for growth, in an effort to facilitate a climate of continuous improvement. Finally, he hopes to establish systems and routines that will foster a culture of high academic achievement and decrease suspensions and the chronic absenteeism rate. 

Mr. Wilson was the presentation speaker for Data Driving Instruction w/AMOs, New Leaders Sessions, and the Mississippi Science Teachers Association Conference. He is a graduate of Mississippi College in Clinton, MS, where he attained a Masters of Arts in Teaching. He also attended the New Leaders Aspiring Principal Program. Additionally, he participated in the JSU "Sonic Boom of the South" Marching Band during his undergraduate years and is an active member of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.