Spotlight On Staff: Christy Willis

By Jill Lindstrom

Sometimes there is no need for a career plan to end up in the right place. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree from the California College of Arts and Crafts, Christy Willis, director of Disability Support Services (DSS), got a job by happenstance at a residential facility in the Boston area working with severely disabled women. One thing led to another, and she ended up at the Association for Retarded Citizens of New York. To broaden her job options, Willis received a master’s degree in deaf education from New York University. She taught deaf children, became a certified sign language interpreter, and then came to GW in 1984.

DSS currently serves more than 750 GW students with a wide variety of disabilities and provides them with academic accommodations and support. In 1996, Willis produced a video called “ADD: The Race Inside My Head,” which received an honorable mention at the New York Film and Video Festival. Another “prize” she won through the process was meeting her husband, who worked in GW Television.

Q: Which of DSS’s programs are you most proud of?

A: Our Speakers Bureau. It is composed of a dozen students with a cross section of disabilities who share their personal stories with GW organizations and departments, and in classrooms. They are incredibly powerful and continue to make a huge impact on campus. In addition, DSS hosts an annual cutting-edge symposium in conjunction with October’s Disability Awareness Month.

Q: What is your favorite spot in D.C.?

A: The C&O Canal along Fletcher’s Boat House near Georgetown. I love walking our dogs there. Adams Morgan is up there too, I used to live there once upon a time.

Q: What is your dream vacation?

A: I just returned from a dream vacation to a small Caribbean island called Dominica. We went snorkeling and on a 15.6-mile hike in one day. There was nothing but rainforest and volcanoes, and it was a very difficult trek. We were holding on to roots of trees, and there were planks of wood in the mud to step on. In the middle of nowhere we came across a huge Obama sign—it was unreal! And our guide was named Elvis!

Q: What books are currently on your nightstand?

A: I just finished a book called The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and, before that, My Sister’s Keeper. My all-time favorite book is Sophie’s Choice.

Q: What never fails to make you cry?

A: I am fairly sappy. I cry pretty easily when I go to the movies, especially if they concern family relationships.

Q: When are you happiest?

A: When I am horseback riding. I love riding dressage, training a horse to develop its natural athletic ability and willingness to perform. When the horse makes a wonderful movement and you are one with the horse—that’s a thrill! Cross-country riding also makes me happy.

Q: What one question would you ask a higher power?

A: Why individuals are dealt different hands and why some are given such greater challenges.

Q: What’s your favorite pig-out food?

A: Mac and cheese—anything creamy! Cooking is one of my passions. I loved cooking French food until my husband’s cholesterol went over the top. Now we do a lot of Italian.

Q: What freaks you out?

A: Route 66! I used to live in the Palisades but gave up the three-mile commute to commute 100 miles a day. My husband and I now live in the Blue Ridge region of Virginia in a farm house originating from 1775.

Q: What is the greatest lesson your parents taught you?

A: Each of my parents had a significant impact on me. My father went to a one-room schoolhouse where he received a tremendous education. My mother was a social worker by training. Together, they taught me the value of education and the value of individual differences.

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