Shannon Williams HeadshotHuman Resources and the Professional Development Center are excited to welcome Dr. Shannon D. Williams to Wake Forest as director of faculty and staff experience. In this position, Dr. Williams will help shape the employee experience, campus engagement, and belonging through broad professional development programs including onboarding, leadership training, coaching, and organizational development.

Dr. Williams most recently served as Affiliate Officer for Arkansas Community Foundation, where he provided strategic visioning, thought leadership, and oversight of the statewide affiliate system and led a team of 29 executive directors. Before that, he served as the inaugural Organizational Development Consultant for the University of North Texas (UNT) System, helping to establish a newly restructured department and lead organizational development and engagement consulting for the system’s three universities and system administration. Before UNT, Dr. Williams served as an Organizational Development Specialist for Baptist Health System, developing and implementing strategic employee experience initiatives for 11 campuses such as leadership development, engagement, culture, diversity and inclusion, and change management. He also has vast experience in higher education retention and student success initiatives.

Dr. Williams earned his Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Leadership from the University of Central Arkansas, a master’s degree in Higher Education, and three bachelor’s degrees—Speech Communication, Sociology, and Criminal Justice from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He is the 2020 recipient of the Mid-South Educational Research Association’s Herbert M. Handley Outstanding Dissertation Award. He is a certified Gallup StrengthsFinder Coach, has a Consulting Skills Certificate from the Association for Talent Development (ATD), and a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace Certificate from the University of South Florida. Dr. Williams is passionate about serving others through inclusive organizational development practices. He is excited to join Wake Forest and contribute his knowledge and talents to help cultivate exceptional experiences for faculty and staff.

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