David Wayne Akins

President and CEO

Wilson-Akins Funeral Home

David Wayne Akins is the President and CEO of Wilson-Akins Funeral Home in Detroit, MI. He succeeded the late RT Wilson, a pioneer mortician in the industry, who founded the business in 1936. David has since established an additional facility and has implemented new training procedures for mortuary science interns. Before his current position, he was the Funeral Home Director and Manager for Barksdale Funeral Homes in Detroit, MI from 1979 – 1985. He has instructed Mortuary Science Courses at Wayne State University from 1986 – 1991.

Before his career in mortuary science, he was an investigator for the Office of the Public Defender in Trenton, NJ where he served as a criminal investigator for the state. He conducted investigations and analyzed case information needed to defend accused persons.

David is a member of the State of Michigan Board of Examiners in Mortuary Science; A member of the Young Men’s Christian Association at the YMCA’s Eastside location, and the Booker T. Washington Business Association. David is a graduate of the University of Detroit-Mercy with a Master of Arts degree in Guidance Counseling. He is also a graduate of Wayne State University with a Certificate in Mortuary Science.