Title: 1) Instructor, Protective Security Officer 2) Founder, Owner, Principal Investigator, Project Manager
Company: 1) VT-SGI 2) T.E. Willis LLC
Education: PhD in Psychology, Northcentral University (2023); MS in Administration and Justice and Security, University of Phoenix (2008); BA in English, Minor in Pre-law and Spanish, Indiana University of Pennsylvania (1999)
Career History: Instructor, Quality Control and National Weapons Detection Training Program, Protective Security Officer, VT-SGI (2009-Present); Founder, Owner, Principal Investigator, Project Manager, T.E. Willis LLC (2008-Present); Airport Police Officer Patrolman, Kansas City International Airport Police Department (2007-2009); Detention Facility Officer, Headquarters Detention Facility — Quality Assurance and Training, Kansas City Police Department (2003-2006)
Dr. Timothy E. Willis, Instructor and Business Leader, has been recognized as a Marquis Emerging Leader for their contributions and achievements in the field of security.
Wielding a bachelor’s degree and certification for teaching, Dr. Willis launched his career as a substitute teacher across numerous school districts in Kansas and served as an instructor at Lawrence Career College. Subsequently, he earned a Class A license as a police officer from the Missouri Department of Public Safety. He found success as a detention facility officer with the Kansas City Police Department from 2003 to 2006 and then as an airport police officer patrolman with the Kansas City International Airport Police Department from 2007 to 2009.
In 2008, Dr. Willis was motivated to start his own company, T.E. Willis LLC, a research firm specializing in securing government contracts, after witnessing the challenges faced by homeless youth and those involved in the prison system. He recognized that the existing systems were not as effective as they could be, and identified financial reliance on grants and fundraising as a key issue.
In addition, he believed in the need for a strong driving force and a multi-systemic approach to address recidivism—his research focused on understanding and addressing this underlying issue, with the goal of implementing a comprehensive approach to mitigate its impact. His primary goal with T.E. Willis LLC has been providing resources to regenerate communities and individuals, sustaining itself through a combination of for-profit and nonprofit products, services, and grants. Concurrently, since 2009, Dr. Willis has been an instructor in the Quality Control and National Weapons Detection Training Program at VT-SGI, through which he trains security officers on how to identify weapons entering federal facilities, among other responsibilities.
Dr. Willis has also since bolstered his education, having earned a Master of Science in administration and justice and security from the University of Phoenix in 2008 and a PhD in psychology from Northcentral University in 2023. Looking toward the future, he is interested in promoting community justice, togetherness, and wholeness. He has always been passionate about serving the community, and his goal is to assist individuals from all walks of life in transitioning and learning to overcome obstacles by empowering individuals with life skills. He continues to measure his success by the success of those he helps.