Todd Willis was born and raised in Portage, Ind. In 1991, Willis graduated from Portage High School, which was only the beginning of his journey.
Willis then continued his education at Indiana University Northwest (IU Northwest) in Gary, Ind. While at IU Northwest, Willis studied for his bachelor's in Sociology.
“I majored in sociology because I was always interested in working with people; figuring out what they do and why they do it, why there are social conflicts, and how poverty and drug addiction affect social aspects.” said Willis.
After a while, Willis decided to continue his education and get his masters in counseling. Willis got his masters degree at Assemblies of God Theological Seminary and did his post-master's work at Southwest Missouri State University.
Before going back to get his masters, Willis moved to Missouri to be with his long-distance girlfriend. While in the preparation of receiving his master's, Willis received the suggestion to get practice in his field before getting his first job.
Shortly after that suggestion, Willis started his residency at Springfield Community Mental Health (SCMH). At SCMH, Willis worked with children and realized he loved working with the youth. Once receiving his masters, Willis continued to work at SCMH for quite a while and became regular staff there.
Willis’ love for SCMH inspired him to get his license in counseling. During this time of inspiration, Willis was still in Missouri but wanted to be licensed in Indiana. Willis decided to get licensed in Missouri and then in November of 2000, Willis was officially licensed in Indiana.
Also in November of 2000, Willis moved back to Portage, his hometown, and started his first counseling job at Porter Starke. Currently, Willis is still employed at Porter Starke and is licensed in not one, but two aspects of counseling: mental health and clinical addiction.
About two weeks ago, Willis got promoted to Director of Community Engagement at Porter-Starke Services. Willis’ new title lets him be involved in certain boards throughout the Region while getting the communities of the Northwest region passionate and educated about healthcare.
When thinking about this promotion, Willis is grateful and super excited to continue giving back to the community.
“If you work hard, are kind to people, and know what you’re doing; there’s so many opportunities waiting for you,” Willis said.
Through Willis’ title he is able to serve on multiple boards, including Porter County Substance Abuse Council, Co-Chair of the Portage YMCA, Portage Strong Initiative, Director of Community Engagement, Porter County Tobacco Prevention, Porter County Task Force to Address Suicides, A Positive Approaches to Teen Health (PATH) Board, and the Porter County Juniors Justice System. Without the new promotion and previous titles Willis has obtained, his work in the communities of Northwest Ind. would not be possible.
When considering the many aspects of his job, Willis' favorite part about is helping people become better versions of themselves and to live lives they are proud of.
“The best parts of my job are being able to help people, break my patients' trauma cycles, see people suffering from addiction and mental health issues get better, and know that I’ve helped people live happier lives,” Willis said.
Besides being a director at Porter Starke, Willis also has a religious side. Since Willis was a sophomore in high school, he has been an avid member of Living Hope Church. Over the years of being a member, he has made so many friends that he now considers close family, and he even met his wife there.
“To me, being a member of the church is to serve; being at a place where people can find acceptance and hope. It provides a connection beyond myself. I go to church because I want to be a part of something bigger than myself,” said Willis.
Aside from his religious practices and work, Willis married his high school sweetheart and has two children that he loves very much. Willis loves his family, music, his electric bass guitar, and martial arts.
Looking over his lifetime, Willis believes that none of his accomplishments would be possible without Christ and his wife.
“I could not do any of what I do in the community without the strength of God and the relationship with my wife. My wife makes it possible for me to do all the things I need to do. She’s never not been by my side; we are partners,” Wills said.