BILL MILLIKEN:
A LIFE
IN
COMMUNITY

Community advocate and lifelong New Yorker Bill Milliken shares his story of faithful presence that led to becoming a foremost pioneer for educational advancement.

Bill Milliken has been a tireless advocate for disenfranchised youth and one of the foremost pioneers in the movement to help troubled students stay in school, graduate, and succeed in life. In the 1960s he helped develop the legendary “street academies,” one of the earliest alternative school models to support students with a network of community services. He later co-founded the organization now known as Communities In Schools, which he served for more than 25 years as national president, and currently serves as vice chairman of the board. Bill also co-founded LeaderComm, a nonprofit collective-impact organization that evolved out of the lessons learned from the CIS experience, and currently serves as its president. Bill has advised U.S. presidents of both parties and has received numerous awards, including the Edward A. Smith Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership, the Champion for Children Award from the American Association of School Administrators, the National Jefferson Award for Public Service, the Visionary Ambassador’s Award from Usher’s New Look Foundation, and an honorary doctorate from Bard College. He has authored four books: Tough Love; So Long, Sweet Jesus; The Last Dropout; and From the Rearview Mirror (Hay House, 2012).

 

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