About the Speaker

Wally Amos was born in Tallahassee, Florida and lived there with his father and mother until he was twelve. Then, he went to live with his Aunt Della, who first baked chocolate chip cookies for him, in her Manhattan apartment. As a senior at Food Trades Vocational High School, Wally dropped out to join the Air Force. In the Air Force, he earned his GED High School Equivalency Diploma. That certificate helped change his life. The GED Diploma made him eligible to train at a New York secretarial school after he was honorably discharged from the Air Force.

Amos was a theatrical agent at the William Morris Agency, where he worked with Simon & Garfunkel, the Supremes and many more musical acts.

Over the years, Amos has acted in a number of network sitcoms and appeared on hundreds of interview shows and news programs. He is TV teacher/host of 50 episodes of state-of-the-art programs for adult basic learners that air on PBS stations nationally. He has acted as product spokesman for several prominent corporations, including Hush Puppies, United Airlines, and the California Egg Board.

Wally Amos is an icon and his name is a household word. As founder of Famous Amos Cookies in 1975, and father of the gourmet chocolate chip cookie industry, he has used his fame to support educational causes.

Since 1979, Wally has been National Spokesman for Literacy Volunteers of America. He is also a Board Member of the National Center for Family Literacy and Communities in Schools. His latest enterprise, Uncle Wally’s, has been critically acclaimed by the media and consumers alike for their tasty high quality muffins.

Wally is widely interviewed and quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, People, Black Enterprise, Nation’s Business, Ebony, Time, Parade, and The New York Times. He appears frequently on The Today Show, 20/20, Good Morning America, Oprah Winfrey, Larry King Show, CNN, GED on TV, and Learn to Read on PBS.

He speaks widely on Inspiration, Literacy, Motivation, Overcoming Adversity, and Spirituality in Business.

He is the author of four popular books including “The Cookie never Crumbles,” “The Power in You,” “Man With No Name,” “Watermelon Magic.”