About Our Speaker

Bill Barkeley, a 1980 graduate of Catholic Central, refused to allow Usher’s Syndrome limit his ability to reach the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Barkeley, who is active in community service, is past president of the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. He is on the executive committee of the Hearing Loss Association of America and is on the Board of Directors of Metro Health Systems.

He has recently been featured on local, regional, national and international media such as WOODTV 8, The Grand Rapids Press, Faith Magazine, Hear The World, Healthy Hearing.com, Sierra Club Radio and Good Morning America.

A film documentary of Barkeley’s climb Walk Your Own Path is being in Spring 2008. The climb will also be covered in Outside Magazine and Outside Online.

Bill and his wife Mary Beth (CC ‘80) have three sons John (CC ‘07), Brian (CC ‘09) and Will (CC ‘12). The family attends Immaculate Heart of Mary Church.