This article's tone or style may not reflect the
encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. (August 2019) |
Tonjua Williams | |
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President of St. Petersburg College | |
Assumed office July 1, 2017 | |
Preceded by | William D. Law |
Personal details | |
Alma mater |
Clearwater Christian College University of South Florida Barry University |
Tonjua Harris Williams is an American academic who became the President of St. Petersburg College in St. Petersburg, Florida in 2017.
Williams was one of three children of her single mother, who encouraged them to study. [1]
Williams began her career at the St. Petersburg College in 1986 after earning her bachelor's degree in humanities from Clearwater Christian College. She earned another bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Clearwater Christian, then a master's degree in Counselor Education from the University of South Florida. She studied at the Adrian Dominican School of Education to gain her Ph.D. in Higher Education from Barry University. [2]
Williams was the first woman and first African American to be a president of the college. [2] Dr. Williams worked as a Coordinator for Student Support Services, Sr. Vice President for Student Services, Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs and Provost at the college's Tarpon Springs campus. During that time, she initiated and oversaw several successful programs, including The College Experience student success initiative, which expanded partnerships between faculty and advisors, created an early alert system for struggling students and increased student visits to campus learning support centers.
Williams is an Aspen Presidential Fellow, a coach for the American Association of Community College's (AACC) Guided Pathways initiative, a faculty resident for the Community College Center for Student Engagement (CCCSE) institutes and is affiliated with several state and national organizations, often in leadership roles.
Her present affiliations include: