Clay Wilkerson

My Story 

My name is Clay Wilkerson and I am very happy to serve Chuckey-Doak High School.  I am a Greene County native who graduated from West Greene before attending Walters State and then Carson-Newman University, where I graduated with a degree in Religion. Since then, I have earned graduate degrees from Tusculum University and Lee University.   I entered the higher education workforce during the economic downturn in 2009 as a temporary job but I found work that I was passionate about, so I have stuck with it ever since.  Over the last 16 years, I have had the opportunity to work in financial aid, admissions, and other roles at Tusculum, Carson-Newman, and Walters State before becoming a higher education access professional. Working on the institutional side has better equipped me to help people navigate the enrollment and financial aid processes that intimidate many students.

I think sometimes people aren't sure where to begin their process of looking into life after high school, finding a good college, or settling on a career. The only bad question is one that you don't ask.  I am the first male in my family to finish high school, and the first person in my direct line to attend college, so my own journey came with a lot of questions, exploring, and learning the hard way.  I want to do all that I can to make your journey easier and more rewarding by helping you find your best fit for what's next. 

Outside of work, I am married to my lovely wife Tiffany, who is a nurse here in Greene County. We have an awesome teenage son named Carter, and lots of animals (2 dogs named Ludo and Potato, 6 cats, 40 chickens, and 2 ducks) that we take care of on the family farm. I have served as the pastor at Susong Memorial Community Church in the Debusk area for the past 12 years and that has been a wonderful community for us to be part of.  Being a married parent means that most of my free time is theoretical rather than actual, but I really enjoy reading, sci-fi/fantasy movies, gardening, tennis, old video games, teaching adjunct college courses, and generally being outside.