Bill Granville grew up in urban Trenton, New Jersey. By adolescence, he was leading a street gang. Fortunately, one of his teachers saw more potential in the troubled teenager and encouraged him to take another direction. Granville rose to become executive vice president of a major U.S. oil subsidiary, but he never forgot the good counsel of his teacher. As a way of giving back, he started a program to teach and train young people about leadership and entrepreneurship. That was 1983
What Bill started in Trenton, NJ in 1983, as a free, after-school program has blossomed into the Granville Educational Program. For more than 19 years, Granville Academy has been teaching young people in grades 8 through 12 life skills through community service, and the fundamentals of business, finance, science, IT, engineering and entrepreneurship in bi-weekly sessions spread over a five years span.
The national after school program can be found in cities spread across the United States, including Baltimore, MD, Cleveland, OH, Plainfield, NJ, and Waterbury, CN. Granville Academy of Northern Virginia meets on the campus of George Mason University.
The Northern Virginia affiliate held its annual Recognition & Awards Dinner this May. The dinner is held to raise money, and recognize the students for completing another year of the mandatory 5-year program, and to honor the many mentors, volunteers, supporters and parents for their dedication and support.
The event featured Mortimer M. Marshall Jr., who received his architectural education at historically black Tuskegee University . Marshall served as director of design on the staff of the Secretary of Defense from 1967 to 1982. He was responsible for development and implementation of design policy and construction standards used in the US Department of Defense’s annual multi-billion dollar worldwide design and construction. Currently, he is president of The Marshall Group.
Business and community leaders recognized for their support of Granville Academy of Northern Virginia were David Greene, president of Urbanomics Consulting Group, Larry Hester, owner of the Short Stop Baseball Card Shop, Sheila Coates, president, Black Women United for Action.
Jerrod A. Henderson, a Granville Academy student through grades 6-12 in Kingston, NC, says, “Excellence, that's one thing that Granville will teach you ... it's going to empower you to know that no matter where you come from, you're going to be empowered to excel." Henderson is a chemical & biomolecular engineering at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He holds bachelor degrees in chemistry and chemical engineering from Morehouse College, and North Carolina AT&T State University , respectively.
Chayna Hardy-Taylor, a 2007Granville Academy student, Trenton says, "Granville is a great program ... it is very beneficial to all students who participate in it not only because it allows for a head start in understanding the world and language of business, but it also teaches the core values need to succeed in life. These core values include discipline, hard work, determination, and a sense of self. All students should be exposed to a program such as Granville Academy at least once, if not more, during their high school life."
Shawn Copeland, now sales operations manager at IBM Corp , says the Granville Academy gave him a glimpse into the corporate world during his teenage years. “With its business-oriented curriculum, trips to Wall Street and an internship with Mobil Oil,” he says, “ Granville helped me to set my sights on a career in business."
Each program or affiliate operates independently with support from the Granville Academy National office In addition to Trenton, there are eight other affiliate programs in Waterbury, CT, Prince Georges County, MD, New Haven, CT, Raleigh-Durham, NC, and the Washington, D.C. area. Numerous other affiliates are being planned for the next two years.
