W. Wilson Goode, Sr.

W. Wilson Goode, Sr. writes and moderates the Policy Corner blog. This blog serves as Dr. Goode’s platform to cover issues that stand at the intersection of mentoring and public policy. As the President of Amachi, Inc., — an acclaimed national model faith-based program for mentoring children of incarcerated parents — Dr. Goode brings years of experience to this role. Dr. Goode is a Distinguished Senior Resident Fellow, Program for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society (PRRUCS), University of Pennsylvania. Because of his innovative and groundbreaking work, in 2006 he received two prestigious awards: the Civic Ventures $100,000 Purpose Prize, and the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Citizen of the Year. He is an ordained Baptist Minister with 57 years of service at the First Baptist Church of Paschall located in southwest Philadelphia. Dr. Goode has served as an officer in the U. S. Army. He also led groundbreaking work in faith-based housing for low and moderate-income persons.  He was the first African American member, and later became Chairman, of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.  He again broke racial barriers with his appointment as Managing Director for the City of Philadelphia.  He would follow that as the City’s first African American Mayor for two terms.  He subsequently spent 7 years as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Education under the Clinton Administration.  He left that position in 2000 to help organize the Amachi program, which is now his ministry and life’s work.