Eddie Cargor never expected a softball injury would help him find his true passion: teaching. At that time, he was working as a corrections officer for the Michigan Department of Corrections and playing for the department’s softball team. During his downtime, he began substituting occasionally at a local middle school and found the profession rewarding. “But I felt I would be better suited to teaching adult learners and college students,” he notes, tucking this dream in the back of his mind for almost 30 years.
Dr. Cargor was born in an underserved neighborhood of Detroit, where crime and drugs were rampant. As he grew up with his mother and brother in a one-parent home, this was not the life his family wanted for him, so they focused on securing him a good education. “My grandmother lived in Alabama, so I went there for vacations, and to live and go to school from time to time, where I learned all about southern hospitality,” he reports. “I ended up returning home and graduating from Detroit Northern High School.”
He continued his education at Eastern Michigan University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in personnel management. “Initially, I was gravitating toward law school and then a career in politics,” he notes.
After graduation, Dr. Cargor joined the United States Marine Corps Reserves, where he served for six years. “I was planning to go into military law but soon realized that was not the path for me.” Around this time, he also started a small tax business: Smile While You File Tax Services, to earn additional income.
His next step was the Michigan Department of Corrections, where he started as a corrections officer and moved into personnel. “The State of Michigan offers many opportunities for career growth, and I took advantage of those,” he points out. After working as a labor relations specialist, Dr. Cargor was promoted to Human Resources Director for the Michigan Civil Service Commission where he retired after 30 years.
But he had more after-retirement plans. He relocated his tax business from his home into a private office, and while working with his clients on their tax returns, he saw the need to extend that help beyond tax liability and into financial planning for retirement. “I should be helping my clients find the best ways to save for retirement and keep as much money as they can, especially if they are on a fixed income,” he notes. Dr. Cargor obtained security licenses to also serve his clients as a financial advisor, which he still does today.
“I get to help people from all walks of life realize their dreams for financial security,” he finds. “I truly enjoy helping my clients achieve their financial goals.”
While moving from one career into the next, Dr. Cargor completed his master’s degree and his PhD “Here I am, 22 years into my career, when I stepped onto the stage to receive my master’s,” he recalls. The stage was crowded with MBAs, and he knew right at that time that a PhD was what he needed to distinguish himself. He received his Doctor of Management in Organizational Leadership shortly afterwards.
Dr. Cargor’s ambitions to continue serving others only became stronger. “I knew that the dash between birth and end of life was one I was going to fill with service to others, and that always was in the forefront of my mind,” he says.
Reflecting on his substitute teaching days and the spark that ignited from that experience, he began teaching at a college level. After a few years at Concordia University in Ann Arbor, he applied to Cleary University, where he has served as an adjunct professor since August 2021. He first taught in-person classes in Howell but saw an opportunity to work with the Detroit Police Department in a hybrid role. He teaches graduate and undergraduate classes in his areas of expertise – leadership, human resources, finance and economics. “Cleary looked at my skill sets and matched me with courses where I could share my diverse work experience,” he points out. “A great deal of my lived experiences has positioned me to offer practical, real-world applications that will prepare students for leadership roles in business and public service.”
A major factor in choosing Cleary to work was The Cleary Mind™, he emphasizes. “It aligns with my academic, professional and personal philosophy. I am honored to be part of the academic team at Cleary,” he adds proudly.
Dr. Cargor’s work never seems completed. “I am not effective when I am not busy,” he says.
He also serves on four boards:
- Phi-Eta-Psi Imperial Foundation: he was its founder, a national president of the fraternity, and now serves on the foundation’s board as the Board of Chair Emeritus
- Wayne County Civil Service Commission Board
- Board of Talent Development Coalition of Pontiac: working to help the underserved build skills in labor and trades
- Board of Tapology in Flint
Dr. Cargor has been married for 32 years; he has two daughters and one son who are very good citizens, he wants to point out; and two grandchildren. He has lived in Ypsilanti for 50 years and has been a deacon at his church for 30 years. In his continuing journey to expand his dash between birth and end of life, he remains focused on being a good servant to his community by mentoring and helping those who are less fortunate.
