William Earle Klay is Professor and Director of the Reubin O'D. Askew School of Public Administration and Policy of the Florida State University where he has been a member of the faculty since 1977.

Klay's research spans several areas of policy and administration, almost always from a futurist's perspective. Articles in recent years, for example, have dealt with strategic management, distance education, contracting for complex modern infrastructure, and societal change.

 
At Florida State he teaches courses in public financial administration, public policy, and the intellectual history and future of public administration. He has been a legislative policy analyst, a state planner, a logistics systems specialist, and an army officer. He is an instructor in the Florida Criminal Justice Executive Institute and is a Certified Government Financial Manager. He received his doctorate in public administration from the University of Georgia.