MOULTRIE, Ga. — Hayden Willis is basing his bid for the District Four Colquitt County Board of Education on four principles: childhood literacy, welcoming parental involvement, future planning and workforce development.

Willis is running for the seat that is currently occupied by Board Chairman Robbie Pitts. He was born and raised in Colquitt County. After graduating high school, he attended Oglethorpe University where he graduated with a degree in history. Soon after, he moved back down south to Tifton, he said in a recent interview.

While in Tifton, he began working at the Carter and Richbourg Law Office as he prepared to enter law school. He attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. After graduating, he worked on some political campaigns in Louisiana before moving to Albany to work with the Flynn, Peeler, Phillips Law Group. 

He would eventually go back into politics as the campaign manager for Curtis Loftis, who at the time was running for the South Carolina state treasurer position in 2010. Willis and Loftis would go on to win the race while changing state history.

“It was the first time that an incumbent had lost in a statewide race in the primary in the history of South Carolina. We had a lot of success in that campaign and I learned a lot… Learned a lot about how local entities deal with issues, which was very interesting. Learned a lot on bond issues, which is something that will help me as we move forward,” Willis said.

He said that these and other life experiences will help him move forward with school board business if he is elected.

“There’s going to be some issues that we are going to have to deal with when we’re trying to get funding for facility improvements,” he said. “That’s just one of the things that show you, you never know the things you picked up 10 years ago that will help you when you’re sitting on a school board one day.”

Since 2011, Willis has been practicing what he calls, “small town law,” at his practice Hayden Willis, LLC, located at 709 S. Main St. There he works a multitude of cases including criminal defense, family, probate, and “much more.”

“It’d be easier to tell you what I don’t do. There’s a bit of everything,” Willis laughed. “It’s mostly ‘courtroom law,’ is how I like to put it. I’m in court for something most days.”

He also serves on two boards linked to education in Colquitt County. He currently serves on the Colquitt County Educational Foundation and is a founding member of the Colquitt County Career Achievement Award.

The achievement award started in 2013 and its main goal is to highlight previous Colquitt County public school students who have gone on to “be extraordinary.”

“These students have gone on to be CEOs, published authors, astronauts and many others who have gone on to be extraordinary. We needed a way to show our students what they can do with a public education,” Willis said. 

Most recently the CCCAA recognized Roger Hunter, a NASA program manager famous for his work on the Kepler Space Telescope Mission. This is the second NASA affiliate that the organization has recognized. 

The CCEF focuses on partnering students in grades preK through third grade with a mentor to work on literacy skills, Willis said.

“The idea behind the educational foundation is going out into the community to recruit mentors to take part in a reading mentorship and identifying students who are behind on their reading scores. The idea is to have them on grade level by the third grade. That being on level is a leading indicator of academic success,” he said. 

All these experiences have been the focal point of his campaign for the board seat, he said. Willis also wants to focus on parental involvement. He stated that focusing on parental involvement will also lead to a child’s success both academically and their future.

“I’m in a position now where I have a 4-year-old and 2-year-old going into the public schools. So I’ll be right in there with them. I want to look at big picture things… Many parents are right there with me. They want an open dialogue. They want to hear what the board is doing for their children. I also want to encourage availability for those parents… Being available isn’t just being there, it’s being accessible to the community. I’d like to see parents taking interest in the decisions being made and encourage that dialogue between the board and the community.”

Willis, his wife Jena, and their children Merritt and Tristan are in their “open community” stretch of the campaign.

“The thing I love about a small town is you get lulled into a false sense of familiarity,” Willis said. “You think just because you live in a small town that you know everybody… I want to continue meeting the people of the community and not only introducing myself but my whole family.”

Early voting began Monday and continues, Monday-Saturday, through May 20 at the Colquitt County Courthouse Annex. Election Day will be May 24 at the polling places in each voting precinct.