Tom Watkins on Clubhouse

Bio

Tom Watkins /tdwatkins88 Twitter, Wechat

Tom Watkins has a rich and eclectic background centering around China, education, health, behavioral health, human services and business having worked in the private, nonprofit and government sectors. He has held major leadership positions in state government serving as the deputy chief of staff in the governors office, director of the state mental health system and state superintendent of schools for the State of Michigan in the USA. He had a lead role in creating the first charter school in Detroit , Michigan and Miami, Florida and assisting creating other such schools across America.

Former China Partner and Managing Director of the WAY American School which is partnering with Chinese high schools to bring highly qualified, Western certified teachers to China to offer a project based learning curriculum which leads to students earning a US high school diploma. WAY American School is accredited by AdvancedEd which and our high school diploma is recognized by over 70 countries around the globe, including the US.

Former president and ceo economic council Palm Beach County, Fl

Host of education podcast, “Beyond the Classroom,” sponsored by centriclearning.net Centriclearning is providing innovative PBL education opportunities in the US, Latin America, China and the European Union.

Wrote internationally recognized report: The New Education (R)evolution: Exploring E-Learning Reforms for Michigan (2005)

https://aurora-institute.org/resource/the-new-education-revolution-exploring-e-learning-reforms-for-michigan/

Watkins has had a lifelong interest in China and has worked for nearly four decades to build economic, educational and cultural ties between our two counties. He serves on the Michigan-China Innovation Center Advisory Board, is an adviser to the Detroit Chinese Business Association, China/US Exchange and served on the National Board of the Tai Initiative working to build connections and relationships between China and the US at the sub-national level.

Tom has written hundreds of articles on US/China relations for international, national and local publications and he is a sought out commentator on both sides of the ocean on China/US relations, education and mental health.
Some of Watkins’s China articles can be found here: https://www.chinausfocus.com/author/84/tom-watkins.html