Craig E. Soaries Ph.D. is proving that reinvention is not bound by age but propelled by vision. With the launch of GEC Enterprises, management consultants to academia and business and nonprofit sectors, he stands at the intersection of wisdom and innovation, transforming decades of scholarship, ministry, music, and global leadership into a bold new consulting platform. Rather than a conclusion, this chapter is a renaissance—an embodiment of resilience, service, and strategic foresight. In this conversation, TNJ explores how Soaries’ journey has led to this moment, and how GEC Enterprises is positioned to help leaders navigate disruption with clarity, courage, and purpose.
You’re embarking on a bold entrepreneurial journey at the age of 70. What does this moment represent for you personally and professionally?
Soaries. This moment represents both culmination and renewal. Personally, it affirms that every season of life offers an opportunity for reinvention. Professionally, it signifies a natural extension of four decades of work in academia, ministry, and international leadership into a consulting platform that can scale globally. At 70, I am not closing chapters; I am writing new ones that integrate wisdom, resilience, and vision into practical solutions for clients.
How has your career in academia, music, ministry, and leadership prepared you for this transition to entrepreneurship?
Soaries. Each dimension of my career has contributed to the foundation of GEC Enterprises. My years in academia sharpened my ability to analyze systems, mentor emerging leaders, and build rigorous structures for success. Music, particularly as a concert organist, trained me to balance precision with creativity—qualities essential in strategy and innovation. Ministry grounded me in values, empathy, and community transformation. Leadership across institutions taught me how to steward resources, scale impact, and manage change. These disciplines converge to form a holistic approach to consulting.
You’ve spent decades shaping institutions, mentoring leaders, and building communities globally. Why was this the right time to create GEC Enterprises?
Soaries. Now is the right time because the world is at a crossroads. Organizations are seeking guidance not just in management but also in meaning—how to align vision with values while navigating disruption. After retiring from Stillman College, I recognized the opportunity to harness my global experience into a firm designed to help leaders integrate culture, strategy, and transformation. GEC Enterprises is my response to the urgent need for leaders to operate with both wisdom and agility.
How do the services that GEC offers set it apart from traditional consulting models?
Soaries. Traditional consulting often emphasizes numbers and metrics. We certainly respect data, but GEC Enterprises looks beyond spreadsheets to examine culture, communication, and organizational behavior. Our ethnographic insights allow us to identify not just what an organization does, but also why it does it. Leadership development and cultural audits become transformational rather than transactional. This positions us as architects of lasting change, not just temporary problem-solvers.
How does your background in anthropology, music, and theology influence the way you approach business strategy and organizational culture?
Soaries. Anthropology helps me see organizations as living cultures—complex ecosystems shaped by values, traditions, and narratives. Music teaches discipline, structure, and improvisation—skills that translate into innovation and adaptability in business. Theology anchors my belief that leadership is ultimately about service and stewardship. Together, these fields allow me to approach organizational culture with both analytical precision and deep human sensitivity.
The launch of GEC Enterprises speaks to innovation, resilience and longevity. How does your story inspire others who hesitate to start something new later in life?
Soaries. I want my journey to affirm that reinvention has no expiration date. Resilience is not the absence of challenge, but the courage to rise again. By stepping boldly into entrepreneurship at 70, I hope to model that legacy is not what we leave behind, but what we continue to create. It is never too late to align passion with purpose.
You contend that transformation begins with vision, values, and voice. How will these principles guide the work of GEC Enterprises and its impact on clients?
Soaries. Our framework begins with vision—helping leaders articulate where they want to go. Values define the ethical compass that ensures that progress is sustainable and responsible. Voice is about empowering individuals and organizations to communicate authentically with stakeholders. Together, these principles ensure that transformation is not superficial but deeply rooted, yielding measurable and meaningful results.
How do you balance intellectual rigor with creativity, and how does that balance translate in your consulting work?
Soaries. For me, rigor and creativity are not opposites; they are partners. Scholarship ensures that every recommendation is grounded in evidence and theory. Music reminds me that creativity brings vitality, innovation, and the capacity to adapt. In consulting, this balance enables me to design strategies that are both structurally sound and dynamically responsive to changing contexts.
Mentorship has been a strong part of your life’s mission. How will GEC Enterprises continue to elevate marginalized voices and nurture future leaders?
Soaries. Mentorship is woven into the DNA of GEC Enterprises. We will intentionally cultivate partnerships that give voice to underrepresented leaders and invest in the next generation of innovators. Just as I have mentored students, ministers, and entrepreneurs globally, this firm will extend that commitment by creating mentorship pipelines and leadership incubators that prepare leaders for diverse and global challenges.
What do you hope your legacy will be through GEC Enterprises? Soaries. I hope my legacy will be that of empowerment—helping leaders, communities, and organizations unlock their fullest potential.
What message would you like to leave with individuals who are at the crossroads of reinventing themselves?
Soaries. To those at the crossroads of reinvention, I would say this: Do not measure yourself by age or circumstance, but by possibility. Every pivot, every transition, is an invitation to create anew. My story is simply proof that vision, when matched with courage, can shape not only a career but also a generation.
