Chris Wilson Biography

Chris Wilson was born in Washington, D.C. Poverty, drug addiction, and constant violence took a toll on him and his family. When Wilson was a teen, his mother’s boyfriend—a corrupt police officer—beat her badly and then stalked her, accelerating her drug use and addiction. Then his cousin was shot. Consumed by anxiety and grief at his mother’s deterioration and the family’s worsening situation, Wilson began carrying a gun and soon had an opportunity to use it. At the age of 17, he killed a man, was tried as an adult, and was sent to prison for life. There, he decided to change his life for the better. He created a “Master Plan” to get an education, become an entrepreneur, and ultimately make a positive difference in the world. He began following his plan. He earned a high school diploma, gained vocational skills, earned an associate of arts degree, and learned languages. He started a career center and book club in prison, mentored other inmates, and put his entrepreneurial skills to work. Then, a judge gave him a chance at freedom; he was released from prison after serving 16 years.

He moved to Baltimore and continued to stick to his Master Plan. He went to college and started his own business—then another, and another. Among his many other entrepreneurial ventures, he founded the Barclay Investment Corporation, a contracting business with the mission to improve the lives of other “returning citizens” by connecting them with steady work. In addition to capturing his experiences in his memoir, The Master Plan, he has spoken publicly about them and has used them to begin a career as a painter. His first New York art exhibition, “I Can Show You the Way Out,” explored the experience of being in solitary confinement.