top of page

WhyChooseMetoWrite for You?

Russell E. Willis

​

        Why Choose Me to Write for You?

 

             Commitment, integrity, follow-through, professionalism,

           and energy are words that characterize Russell Willis.

​

                                                         Dr. Steven Shepherd

                                                                                                             Host of the Natural Curiosity Podcast
                                                                                                  and author of over 100 books 

​

 

I write at the intersection of imagination, moral clarity, and the accelerating pressures of modern life, with a single conviction: that language can help us navigate a world where technology dominates, but where we can dream and plan and complain and exhort and laugh and cry and consider all the things that make life worth living well.​

​

​

My professional career began as an engineer at Texas Instruments, working with military-grade semiconductors used by Bell Labs and NASA—early building blocks of the digital world we now inhabit. That experience raised questions that would shape the rest of my life: not just what technology makes possible, but who remains responsible once power scales beyond individual control.

​

Those questions led me out of industry and into scholarship. I earned a PhD in social ethics at Emory University, focusing on the ethics of technology, accountability, and responsibility for future consequences. Over the next several decades, I lived those ideas in practice—as a professor, provost, instructional-technology pioneer, and entrepreneur helping institutions navigate change without losing their moral bearings.

 

Along the way, I helped launch early online degree programs, built AI-supported learning platforms, developed strategic plans for colleges and nonprofits, and guided organizations through moments of institutional reinvention. I’ve taught thousands of students, delivered hundreds of talks and sermons, written countless reports and white papers, and facilitated strategic planning for universities, arts organizations, churches, and mission-driven nonprofits.

 

What unites all of it is storytelling—clear, grounded, humane storytelling that helps people see what they are doing, why it matters, and what it will cost if they don’t act wisely.

 

In recent years, writing has become my primary vocation. I am the author of AI and the Crisis of Control (soon to be available through Archway Publishing) and I am working on a multi-volume project--Responsibility in the Age of AI. I am also an award-winning poet and essayist, with work published widely since 2019. Across genres, my writing returns to a single conviction: language matters because it shapes how we imagine responsibility in a world increasingly governed by algorithmic systems, automated decision-making, and AI-driven scale.

 

Today, I also work with individuals, organizations, and institutions that are implementing—or struggling to govern—in today's technology-driven, AI-dominated world. I help leaders think clearly about what AI is doing inside their systems, who remains accountable when decisions are distributed, and how to translate ethical concern into operational practice. Through strategic planning, case studies, white papers, executive narratives, and long-form projects, I help organizations align AI use with mission, values, and human judgment—so that technology extends human agency rather than quietly replacing it.

​

If any of this resonates, I’d welcome a conversation about how we might work together.

______________________________________________________________________________________​​

Russell Willis is a freelance writer, ghostwriter, explainer video producer, and strategic planner

Resume'

​

Professional Experience

 

​Published Poet and Author                                                     

  • Author of AI and the Crisis of Control (Amazon.com), soon to be published by Archway Publishing

  • Emerged as a poet in 2019, beginning with the publication on January 2 of three poems in The Write Launch. 

  • Essayist and Creative Nonfiction Author

    • "Ellul’s Prescience and the Unfinished Task of Responsibility in an Age of AI.” Ellul Forum (forthcoming 2026)

    • "Remembering Eden in the Age of AI."  Valiant Scribe (January 2026).

    • "A Legacy of Words: In Gratitude to Bill Moyers." The Write Launch, Issue 97 (July 2025).

    • "Goodbye, Rosalynn -- and Thanks!" in The Writer's Club (November 25, 2023).

  • Published several articles and chapters, and coauthored a book (Cosmic Witness) prior to 2005.

 

Principal Consultant and Copywriter                                  2006-Present

REWillisWrites/Willis Strategic Management

  • REWilliWrites and Willis Strategic Management are the DBAs for Russell E. Willis’s freelance writing, strategic planning, ethics consulting, and faith-based counseling.

​​

​Vice President, Product Development                               2009-Present

Global Classroom, Inc.

  • With the founder and CEO, built a pioneering online education platform for teacher certification, government training, professional development in business, and k12 education.

​​

Provost and Chief Academic Officer                                     2003-2006

Champlain College

  • Provided leadership and vision for the institutional transformation of Champlain College.

​​

Vice President for Academic Affairs                                      2000-2003

Dakota Wesleyan University

  • Acted as founding Director of the George and Eleanor McGovern Center for Leadership and Public Service.

_________________________________________________________________________

​

Education

  • Doctor of Philosophy - Social Ethics

    • Emory University​ (1990)

    • Dissertation: "Toward a Theological Ethics of Technology"

      • Focused on the work of Jacques Ellul, ​James Gustafson, and contemporary philosophy of technology

  • Master of Theology (1982)

    • Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University 

  • Master of Science-Engineering Management (1979)

    • Southern Methodist University

  • Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (1977)

    • Southern Methodist University

  • Bachelor of Science - Management Systems (1976)

    • Southern Methodist University

​

Pastoral Ministry

  • United Church of Colchester (VT) (American Baptist Churches)

    • Pastor  -- 2017-Present

    • Interim Pastor -- 2010-2011, 2015-2017

  • First Baptist Church, Burlington (VT) (American Baptist Churches)

    • Bridge Pastor -- 2014-2015

  • Decker United Methodist Church (Austin, TX) (United Methodist Church)

    • Pastor -- 1984-1986

  • Central Congregational Church - UUC (Dallas, TX) (United Church of Christ)

    • Assistant, Associate Pastor -- 1979-1982​

​​

Teaching Appointments (highest rank)

  • Dakota Wesleyan University -- Professor

  • McMurry University -- Associate Professor (tenured)

  • Iowa Wesleyan University -- Associate Professor (tenured)

    • 1995 Teacher of the Year​

  • Iowa State University --Instructor 

  • Arizona State University -- Visiting Assistant Professor

​

Industry Experience

Texas Instruments, Inc. - Military Products Department of Semiconductor Division. Specialized in opening non-military markets for the use of mil-spec semiconductors (such as NASA and Bell Labs).

Contact REWillisWrites
For a free (no obligation) consultation

or connect with me at:
rewilliswrites@gmail.com
or
802-233-3242

©2025 BY RUSSELL E. WILLIS. PROUDLY CREATED WITH WIX.COM

bottom of page