Robert Willis has been a science teacher from 1984 to 1999 at Frank W. Ballou High School in Washington, D.C. His fellowships and awards include the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (1998); the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Research Fellowship (1991); and the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences Fellowship, (1990 and 1989) where he conducted biomedical research over a period of three summers at the National Institutes of Health. Mr. Willis received a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Florida State University in 1982, and a Master of Science in Education from Howard University in 1995.