Willie J. Holley is a native of Pompano Beach, Florida, where he graduated from Ely High School. He continued his education at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, until entering the United States Air Force. While in the Air Force, Doctor Holley earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in Business Management from the University of Tampa and Troy State University, respectively. He is also a graduate of the USAF Officer Training School, Squadron Officers School, Air Command and Staff College, and the Combined Services Academic Instructor School. Doctor Holley also served as a Distinguished Professor of Aerospace Leadership and Management at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Doctor Holley retired from military service with the rank of Major. He is a Vietnam Veteran with three combat tours in the Southeast Asia theater of operations.

Upon his retirement, he and his wife, Sandra, moved to Sarasota, where Major Holley was called to the Ministry of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As an ordained Minister, Doctor Holley has served in numerous church positions, including Bible Teacher, Youth Minister, and Associate Pastor at Bethesda Word of Faith Church and Koinonia Missionary Baptist Church of Sarasota, Florida. He holds Master's and Doctorate degrees in Systematic Theology from the Love of God Theological Seminary. Rev. Holley is the former Director of Ministries and Assistant Pastor at Mount Raymond Full Gospel Baptist Church, Palmetto, Florida. He is also the founding Pastor of Pathways Christian Fellowship. Dr. Holley is also a lecturer and Bible Teacher at Pathways Ministries, a community outreach and teaching ministry where he teaches weekly Bible classes to students of all faiths, genders, races, and creeds. Pastor Holley established Pathways Christian Fellowship Church in April of 2010 as a progressive Christian congregation focusing on the development of the whole person—body, soul, and spirit.

Doctor Holley is the President of Holley Marketing and Management Services, a business consulting firm. He is a former President of the Sarasota County Branch of the NAACP and former Chairman of the Sarasota Coalition Of African American Leadership, which he helped establish as a political voice for the Sarasota County African-American Community. Dr. HoIley has received numerous military and civilian awards and was previously recognized as the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity "Citizen of the Year for Sarasota County, "Distinguished Community Leader" by Florida Trend Magazine, and the "Community Expansion Award" from Sarasota Memorial Hospital for his work as a community builder. The Florida State Conference of NAACP Branches recognized Rev. Holley with the "Bridging the Gap" award for supporting and promoting women’s issues in the NAACP, and he received the "Passing Through the Storm Award" for sustained outstanding leadership of the Sarasota County NAACP branch. He is also a recipient of the "President’s Award of Excellence for outstanding leadership in the Sarasota/Manatee community. The Sarasota community recently recognized Dr. Holley during its Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday services for his outstanding contributions to the fight for freedom, justice, and equality for all people in the Sarasota and Manatee communities. In 2019, Dr. Holley was recognized as "Pastor of the Year" for Manatee County.

Doctor Holley continues to serve the community in several different roles. He is a member and advisor to the Manatee Pastors Fellowship. Most recently, Dr. Holley served as the Vice Chair for the Manatee County Faith-Based Alliance, Inc. Reverend Holley regularly speaks to various community groups and organizations while continuing to share his business and marketing expertise with several local Pastors and parachurch ministries. Reverend Holley also publishes a weekly newspaper article entitled "Pathways to Faith" in the Tempo News weekly newspaper and on the world wide web.

Dr. Holley has also served on the Boards of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce and the Suncoast Workforce Board. Dr. Holley is the Senior Pastor of Pathways Christian Fellowship, Incorporated, which he founded in 2010 and was voted "Church of the Year" in 2017 by the Manasota Black Chamber of Commerce. Rev. Holley is married to Sandra Simmons of Saint Petersburg, Florida, and they have one daughter.