This past Tuesday I had the privilege of attending a speech given by Mr. William C. Wiley. Mr. Wiley graduated in 1974 with an M.A. in Creative Writing, yet throughout his speech he continually reminded us that “when you leave, your education will only be a basis for you career.” For the duration of his lecture his main theme was that life will take you many different routes, and can be a constant rollercoaster.
He did not pursue his M.A at Hollins right after his undergraduate studies, he fought as a soldier in the Vietnam War and later worked in public television. He then decided to come to Hollins for the writing program. After he received his degree he began teaching creative writing in the prison system. In 1976 he found his way into politics, working on a presidential campaign which later turned into a job as Press Secretary on Capitol Hill.
As Press Secretary he soon realized that as long as you are making someone money no one cares about who you are or where you come from. This led him to go into investment trading where he succeeded and later was asked to become the State Treasurer.
At that time he was the youngest State Treasurer to be appointed; this position called for him to be the chief banking officer for the state of Virginia. This became his first encounter with commercial banks, in which he did the first ever debt financing for the Commonwealth of Virginia. During his position as State Treasurer a friend of his asked if he would be interested in starting a bank with him.
He went into the entrepreneurial banking venture with his friend and sat on the board of members. Yet, as Mr. Wiley informed us the turnover rate for CEO positions and those like it was 50% within 12 months. Thus, when they lost their Senior Vice President shortly after the start of the business, he was asked by the board to become the next Senior Vice President of the company. After accepting the offer, within 3 to 4 years they had opened 3 other chartered banks. Through the bank they developed a fund that would obtain money from other places and invest that capital into banks. He still works at the private equity firm which he helped found and also currently sits on the Hollins University Board of Trustees.
It is always amazing to hear the stories of profound individuals that went before you. Especially with many of us upon the horizon of graduating and beginning a new journey, it is calming to know that things may not turn out the way we imagine them. To hear the never-ending twists and turns of Mr. Wiley’s life puts an ease to those fears of not knowing where life will take us. Well ladies sit back and relax, because life is its own boss!