Mary Williams

My areas of expertise are character education, ethical leadership, and social justice. I hold NY certifications in elementary (N-6), middle-level social studies (5-9), and Reading Specialist (K-12), and (N-8) in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. I have been a teacher for students in reading, social studies, English, and math. I graduated from a doctoral program at Boston University with an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership: Curriculum, Instruction, and Supervision. My first tenure-track position was at Pace University in New York, where I taught K-12 teacher education courses, as well as courses in the masters programs in Educational Leadership and Reading Certification. I accepted a position at the University of San Diego. I taught classes and co-authored four books, created and co-directed an International Center for Character Education, and developed a master’s degree concentration and online certificate program in Character Education and a doctoral program in Educational Technology. I then accepted a tenured position as a Professor at George Mason University, where I led the Secondary Education Graduate Program through a successful NCATE accreditation visit, developed blended and online courses, and led an initiative in Best Practice Portfolios. I also created the courses and framework for an online master’s degree program in Character Education.  I accepted a position at La Salle University as a full professor and Chair of the Education Department where I led grant work and program acquisition. After five years, my role transitioned to the Director of Educational Leadership and Policy initiatives to support statewide advocacy work regarding social justice and equity.