John Williams Jr. (university president)

John I. Williams Jr. is the former and 12th president of Muhlenberg College.[1] He was the first African American to be a president of a Lutheran college. Before becoming the president of Muhlenberg he was the first African American to be hired by Bain & Company, the global strategy consulting firm, and went on to become the senior vice president of strategic planning and SVP and general manager of the Consumer Travel Network at American Express.[2] Williams currently serves as co-founder and president of the Celeritas Center for Intercultural Equity, a Boston-based nonprofit organization dedicated to improving educational and career access, opportunity, and equity for Black, Latinx, and other underrepresented minority students.[3]

John I Williams, Jr.
Known forFormer president of Muhlenberg College
Spouse(s)Diane Pierce-Williams

Muhlenberg College Presidency

John I. Williams Jr. took office on July 1, 2015. In 2016, he established a Sustainability Strategic Plan to further systematize the usage of sustainable energy at the college, and launched a program to enable students to develop mentor relationships based on shared interests using an online database.[4][5][6] Under his tenure the college also launched a strategic plan, and a campus master plan.[7]

He departed from his position after four years in 2019.[8]

Personal

Williams was born in 1954 in New York City and grew up in suburban Westbury, NY. He graduated cum laude from Kent School in Kent, CT. He earned a BA in economics, magna cum laude, at Amherst College followed by a JD from Harvard Law School and an MBA from Harvard Business School.[1] Since 1984, he has served on the board of trustees of Amherst College, and since 1996, as a Life Trustee.[9] Williams also serves as a trustee of the Kent School in Kent, CT and the Walnut Hill Center for the Arts in Natick, MA. He is married to Diane Pierce-Williams and has three adult children and two grandchildren.[6] He earned a private pilot license at Hanscom Field in Bedford and currently holds an airline transport pilot certificate from the FAA for both single- and multi-engine aircraft.[10]

References
  1. Muschick, Paul. "Muhlenberg College inaugurates new president". mcall.com. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  2. "John I. Williams to Lead Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania". The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. 2015-02-09. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  3. "John I. Williams, Jr. | Celeritas Center for Intercultural Equity". Celeritas Center for Intercultural Equity. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  4. "Muhlenberg will require students to select alumni or parent mentors". www.insidehighered.com. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  5. "2019". Muhlenberg College. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  6. "John I. Williams Jr". Muhlenberg College. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  7. Palochko, Jacqueline. "Muhlenberg College president out, Kathleen Harring named interim leader". mcall.com. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  8. "Provost Kathy Harring to Serve as Interim President". Muhlenberg College. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
  9. "Amherst College Board of Trustees". Amherst College. October 27, 2020.
  10. "Pilots Organizing to Fight for Existence | Aero-News Network". www.aero-news.net. Retrieved 2020-09-18.
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