Most folks dream of helping their hometown achieve greatness. But not many get to preach the good word to their hometown and stretch their strengths and abilities to another county to do the same.
But Dr. Billy Willis has found a way to actually preach as the pastor of his Drew home church, Holly Grove Missionary Baptist Church.
“I started in ministry in 2000 and have been a pastor in Drew since 2018,” Dr. Willis said.
He acquired his Theology doctorate from Jacksonville Theological Seminary. Backing up, Dr. Willis was first a high school baseball player and athletic trainer for all sports at Drew High School. He then attended Mississippi Delta (Junior) Community College in 1988 through 1989 securing an associate degree in biology.
“I enjoyed zoology professor Dean Thornton. He was a walking book,” he said. “I haven’t been on campus since I left but I need to get down there for homecoming or something.”
He went on to Delta State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in general studies. While there, he was active in the HPER (health, physical education and recreation) department. That set him on a career course that opened doors in Tunica County.
“I was doing community advocacy work helping build recreation programs in Bolivar County,” Dr. Willis said. “That was in conjunction with a Bolivar County non-profit agency.”
He was introduced to Tunica after graduating DSU through a federally-funded program, Youth Opportunities Unlimited, helping at-risk youth.
“I served as the recreation culture coordinator for that particular program,” he said. “After a year (and federal funds ran out), I came on board with the county (with the same program.) It grew into something massive.”
His role with the county continued to grow and he was charged with implementing a recreation program for all of Tunica County. The county then decided to create a full-fledged parks and recreation program and build amenities for residents. They hired Dr. Willis as its first director.
“Over the years, the county has spent over $20 million dollars in just infrastructure alone for an indoor aquatics center, state-of-the-art wellness center, four recreation community centers and a number of neighborhood parks. They spent a lot of money on the recreational and well-being for the community. Through that we’ve built a number of programs – recreation cultural arts, Boys and Girls Clubs, a volunteer senior citizen program – having the health and wellness component as well as aquatics. It was massive.”
In 2020, Dr. Willis was asked and accepted the position of county administrator, a role that he naturally filled with his background.
“It was a big jump but Parks and Recreation was more of a community-agency-type organization because we focused on more than just parks and recreation. We did a lot of community-oriented projects as well,” he said.
As county administrator, Dr. Willis carries out the policies adopted by the board, supervises other divisions of county government, prepares the budget, advises the board on federal and state assistance for the county and meets regularly with the Board of Supervisors.
He also serves as the COO for the Tunica County 10-Point Coalition. They help provide organizations with a strategic vision, programmatic structure and financial resources. It was organized for religious, charitable and educational purposes.
“We do a lot of community-oriented projects like dealing with health disparities such as hypertension, cholesterol, diabetes and such. And since I was with Parks and Recreation, we needed a conduit to help do other things. We offer summer feeding programs, after-school snack and supper programs through that agency.”
Dr. Willis is continuously looking for ways to reach out with help and a hand up for folks across the Delta.
“How do we improve the quality of life for all Mississippi Deltans? If you think about Tunica County with the amenities and workforce we have, many folks migrate or drive into Tunica County to work. We want them to be productive in life for their children and grandchildren,” he said. “Small towns, back when we were growing up, had major industries that supported the town. We had ITT Plastic and then we had Carhart Manufacturing and a National Guard armory and two grocery stores. We had the Drew Public Schools. But now the demographics have changed and when that happens the economy changes. And that alters individual lifestyles and they have to go where the jobs are. That’s where we have to focus on improving the quality of life in the Delta. Most of the Mississippi Delta probably serves as a food desert. How far do you have to go to get adequate groceries?”
When he’s not busy preaching, teaching or taking care of Tunica County, Dr. Willis enjoys time with his family. Married (Arnethia) since 2002 with a blended family of seven adult children, Dr. Willis spends a lot of time in ministry in the Delta. He did play quite a bit of adult fast pitch softball earlier in his adult life but hasn’t found time to get back on the diamond lately. And he enjoys spending time with his wife.
“She’s likes going shopping and I love going and watching,” he said laughing. “Pastoring, I have a love for what I do — the assignment and the call God has given me. If you have a passion for something, don’t let anything become a barrier to achieving that or overcoming that.”
Preaching and teaching where it all began in Drew, Dr. Billy Willis is out to make the Mississippi Delta a better place for everyone.
