Willair brings thirty plus years of experience managing workforce development, health & human services, and educational services programs for nationally recognized organizations such as United Way of New York City, Diploma Plus, and Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle. He also spent seven years with the City of Seattle Office of Economic Development, where he worked with the community college system, non-profit organizations, and several private companies in support of the priorities of the Office of Economic Development. In addition, he spent five years as an Adjunct Professor with the Bachelor’s Completion program for Social Workers at Western Washington University.
He is currently with the District of Columbia Department of Human Resources where he is managing the district’s largest and widely recognized internship program for Upper Level Undergraduate & Graduate students. He has the opportunity to call upon his real life experience both professionally and personally as an immigrant from Haiti, who speaks four languages (English, Spanish, French and Haitian Kreyol) when working with communities of all generations, cultures, socioeconomic class, and ethnicities in addressing the needs of the community and providing workshops/trainings that address those identified needs. His work in DC Government has also given him the opportunity to support the well sought after Capital City Fellows program and Certified Public Managers program.
Willair had been invited and received leadership development training both in Seattle, WA with Leadership Tomorrow in 2001 and in Boston, MA with Third Sector New England’s Non Profit Executive Leadership Development program in 2010. His current work is an ideal fit for Willair due to the fact that he has spent the majority of his years in workforce development and education. The aforementioned is highlighted by the fact that he was an original member of the team that developed Annie E Casey Foundation’s Jobs Initiative and represented the interest of the Mayor of the City of Seattle in the initial construct of the Workforce Investment Board and Council in Seattle/King County, Washington.
While in Seattle, Willair served on the King County Mental Health Board and was the Chair of the Board for three years. He currently serves as a Board Member for Diploma Plus, Inc. (a nationally recognized education reform model that looks to address the academic need for young people identified as over age and under credited). Willair has received numerous awards and recognitions for his work including a citation from Greg Nickels Mayor of Seattle. He is currently serving as Commissioner on both the Commission on African Affairs in Washington, DC as well as the Mayor’s Advisory Commission for Caribbean Community Affairs in Washington, DC.