Dr. Jameka J. Williams, PhD, MPA (pronouns: she/her/hers) currently serves the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville as its inaugural Chief Culture, Access, & Stakeholder Engagement Officer. In her role, Dr. Williams strategically develops institutional initiatives centered around furthering the school’s vision of inclusivity and belonging. Dr. Williams has earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in political science from the University of South Carolina – Aiken, obtained a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Augusta University (formally Georgia Regents University), acquired a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Educational and Organizational Leadership Development with a higher education focus and social justice cognate from Clemson University, and has completed several certificates including in intercultural inclusion and diversity through the University of South Carolina Columbia and multicultural mentoring through the University of Florida and International Mentoring Association. She is also an intercultural development inventory (IDI) qualified administrator.
Dr. Williams has over a decade of experience in higher education in the functional areas of student finance management; diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging; admissions, and academia. Further, she has worked across various institutional contexts, including technical colleges, large public research I institutions, and most recently in academic medicine. She has conducted and published research on a variety of topics, such as the experiences of Black men in the academy, advancing women to the full professorship, reasons for student departure at technical colleges, race relations of the 2008 presidential election, and the impact of pathway programs for underrepresented students, just to name a few. She has presented at both local and national conferences for the Georgia Political Science Association (GPSA), the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE), Clemson University’s Men of Color Summit, and the Association of Pediatric Program Directors, the Council on Medical Student Education in Pediatrics (COMSEP), and the Pediatric Chairs Group. She is also an active member of the Council of Academic Diversity Officers (CADO) with the University of South Carolina.
Additionally, Dr. Williams has worked as visiting faculty for Clemson University where she helped developed curriculum and provided instruction for graduate students in the areas of student affairs, research, and diversity in higher education. She also served as the commencement speaker for Clemson University’s doctoral hooding ceremony in 2021. Dr. Williams is dedicated to incorporating the wealth of her experiences, the knowledge she has obtained from her personal and professional encounters, and research of marginalized populations to continue to support underrepresented communities in higher education and promote health equity in her current role.