William Clyburn, Jr. is no stranger to trailblazing his way path in life. The son of two teachers, one of whom picked cotton to help his family, Clyburn (CerE '89) made history on Capitol Hill and later founded Clyburn Consulting, LLC. Clyburn’s journey after graduating from Georgia Tech’s School of Materials Science and Engineering is a testament to the transformative power of an MSE degree. From campus to career, his story highlights not only the boundless opportunities and lasting impact that come with a Georgia Tech education, but also the importance of trusting oneself enough to color outside the lines.

While at Georgia Tech, Clyburn was adamant about bettering the world around him. As a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., he made it a point to go into the economically depressed neighboring area and mentor the kids in that community. Inspired by shows like Perry Mason and L.A. Law, Clyburn founded GT Law, and organization that received funding from lawyers who would visit the institution and speak on engineering and patent law, and the relevance law and engineering have on one another. “Particularly in engineering, you have a challenge that you’re trying to solve, and you have to understand the rules that govern them. For law school, there’s the IRAC (Issues, Rules, Analysis, and Conclusion) method, which is pretty much the same thing. Law school was not a shift. It was just another level of the very same process,” Clyburn said.

After graduating from Georgia Tech, Clyburn attended the Joseph F. Rice School of Law - University of South Carolina. He credits his grandmother, “Grandma Dozier,” as one of his motivations to go to law school. “I wanted to make sure I understood laws that would protect her and her neighbors, so if something happened, I would know who to call or what to do,” Clyburn said.

After first ten years of public service clerking for the Circuit Court judge in South Carolina, working on the Senate Commerce Committee on Capitol Hill as a staffer, and working as a top legislative aid for US Senator Chuck Robb’s Office of Commerce Counsel, Clyburn was nominated by President William J. Clinton and unanimously confirmed by the US Senate to the Surface Transportation Board. When his time with the Surface Transportation Board ended, he returned to Capitol Hill to help Senator Zell Miller and others in Georgia, focusing on transportation infrastructure. He credits this to his induction into Georgia Tech's prestigious Council of Outstanding Young Engineering Alumni in 2003. “Georgia Tech saw the benefit of my being able to leverage my engineering background, legal background, and public policy experience to actually help bring funding and resources to the university,” Clyburn said.

The success of Clyburn Consulting, LLC has brought many lessons, particularly about collegiality and collaboration. Working with clients like Norfolk Southern and the city of Augusta, GA demonstrates that these municipalities have infrastructure needs, but more than that, people are affected. His client mix has enlightened him and allowed him to continue helping people.  Although he is no longer on Capitol Hill, he continues to be a public servant, serving on boards that focus on things like the Black maternal health rate and mortality, morbidity, and how those health disparities impact people. 

To many alumni, a degree from MSE is more than a credential—it’s a launchpad. For Clyburn, it’s been the foundation of a remarkable journey that has taken him far beyond the boundaries of campus, to a pathway that has been anything but traditional, yet very rewarding, proving that an MSE education opens doors to extraordinary opportunities and lifelong impact. The most important part of his journey has been his ability to forge a unique path is his ability to be inspired by the world around him and his willingness to think creatively and act unconventionally. Clyburn said, “sometimes, coloring outside the lines leads you to a whole new page.”

Read more articles from the Fall 2024 Edition of the MSEConnect Newsletter.