DETROIT – Heaster Wheeler has what is known as " presence and passion". His quick smile, hearty laugh and kind spirit will embrace you. He has served in numerous professional capacities including but not limited to, fireman, lobbyist, executive director of the Detroit Branch NAACP, Assistant Wayne County Executive and now Chief Instruction Officer for Black family Development.
He has been a Detroiter all of his life. With all of the positions he has held, the one that is most intriguing is that of a firefighter. I asked if the popular television show " Chicago Fire", presents any realism of what the job is like. He smiled and said, " Well there might be a little truth, but that's Hollywood."
He stated most of what you do is in the dark. There is an adrenalin rush when you hear the bell. But what really lifts you up is when you go into the dark and dangerous and find a person and bring them out safely. But being a fire person is not for the faint of heart.
Because of Heaster's passion for education and the youth of Detroit, he is now on loan from Black Development to work with the Coalition for the Future of Detroit Schoolchildren. This Coalition is made up of prominent Detroiters who came together to have input into Governor Snyder's reorganization for Detroit Public Schools. Hester is on the frontline daily pushing and pulling for fairness and insight into a new direction.
One of the important factors that have to be baked into the new plan is " coordination ". There must be the ability to track and serve the student as he or she moves within the district. He, along with others are vehement on the need to have the elected school board return to power. Detroit is the only school district that is not run by elected officials
When asked how he feels about the governor's commitment and direction, he states, " I do believe the Gov. Snyder is committed to righting this ship. But we have to have a say so on how our District will be run and reorganized. If you recall we had a budget surplus when the State took over, now we have a deficient. Also the EAA was a bad idea.It needs to be dissolved and those school brought back under DPS."
As stated Heaster's passion is a driving force to serve and make a positive contribution. Even thought he may disagree with positions that might be taken, he is not a disagreeable person. His smile prevents you getting mad at him.
Heaster Wheeler is an Everyday Hero: Making a Difference.