Early Apple Computer marketing leader to deliver St J Academy commencement address

William T Cleary, an early leader in developing Apple Computer’s marketing programs and a pioneer in Internet-based brand development, will deliver the Commencement Address when his son Ian and the rest of St. Johnsbury Academy’s Class of 2011 graduate Monday, June 6.
Cleary, a former teacher, joined Apple at its Cupertino, Cal. headquarters as the company’s Senior Marketing Manager in 1981, leading Apple’s sales promotional efforts, advertising, and merchandising until 1985.
In 1987, he founded the CKS Group, also based in California, a marketing and advertising firm that created innovative digital-media-marketing strategies and campaigns for some of the largest brands associated with the worldwide Web, including eBay, Amazon.com, Disney, AdForce, Yahoo, and Excite.
After leaving CKS in 1998, Cleary served as Chairman of the Board for Matchmaker.com, a highly innovative and fast-emerging new company, which was later sold to Lycos.
For the past 10 years, he has been active in assisting entrepreneurs with business-plan development and marketing efforts through Cleary & Partners, a small consulting firm based in Saratoga, Cal., where Cleary, his wife Kathy and their three children reside.
Although Cleary is best-known for his achievements in the business world, his career began in a classroom, working as a full-time teacher at an inner city school from 1971-1972 while pursuing a graduate degree in social science and secondary education at State University of New York (SUNY) College at Buffalo. He later taught American history, anthropology and African-American studies at a high school in Angola, N.Y., from 1973-1978, before entering the advertising/marketing field.
He also has a deep commitment to Santa Clara University’s MBA program, where he has served as a member and chairman of the advisory board, Executive Fellow, part-time instructor and Distinguished Lecturer.
Fascinated by anthropology and history since his youth, Cleary has worked closely with world-renowned paleo-anthropologist and African wildlife conservationist Dr. Richard Leakey in several initiatives centered on environmental and social concerns, including founding the Wildlife Direct organization, which is working to save endangered mountain gorillas in the Congo from poachers.
Meanwhile, his lifelong fascination with history led him to build what the Saratoga Historical Foundation described as ‘one of the largest collections’ of Civil War artifacts on the West Coast. He also owns more than 20,000 miniature soldiers, most Civil War era, now waging their battles in six dioramas he has created in the Cleary family’s home.
Since 2002, the home has served as a Civil War museum for three months out of the year, attracting students and teachers from area schools, historians, civic groups, and other organizations.
‘Experienced educator, African anthropologist, Civil War historian, successful entrepreneur, digital marketer, and his sons’ youth lacrosse coach, Bill Cleary is a Renaissance man in his own right,’ Academy Headmaster Tom Lovett said. ‘When you add to this his experience with world-renowned thinkers, researchers, and innovators, you get one of the most fascinating people I know. As his son Ian says, ‘He’s the real deal, and he’s amazingly humble about it.’ I, for one, very much look forward to hearing him speak.’
The Academy’s 2011 commencement exercises will begin at 10 a.m. on June 6 in the Field House. For general Academy information, go to www.stjacademy.org.