Angela Williams, assistant vice chancellor and executive director of the Career Development Center, is leaving the Division of Student Affairs and taking a new role as teaching assistant professor in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. Her last day with Career Services will be Monday, Nov. 22. 

We invite you to attend a drop-in reception in her honor from 10:30 a.m. to noon today, Friday, Nov. 19, in the Commuter Lounge (outside the Career Services suite of offices, ARKU 607) on the sixth floor of the Arkansas Union.

Williams was named director of the Career Development Center in 2011. She has been with the university for many years in various positions, such as academic counselor and associate director of the Career Development Center. 

"No matter her role in the Career Development Center, from career counselor to assistant vice chancellor, Angela has created an atmosphere of inclusivity, respect and dedication for her entire team. Under her strong leadership, she represented the center both on and off campus with unmatched grace, intelligence and humor," said Mary Alice Serafini, associate vice chancellor and executive director of the Pat Walker Health Center. "During her tenure as director, the Career Center staff has more than doubled, which is due in large part to Angela's efforts. In fact, earlier this year, Angela led the team in writing and winning a $557,000 grant over three years from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation, which created two additional positions in the center. This enabled Angela to continue her vision of having a career counselor and director of employer relations in every college, a goal she has worked tirelessly to bring to fruition." 

Williams looks back on her time in the Career Development Center with pride in what she and her staff have been able to accomplish.

"One of the greatest accomplishments ​of which I am most proud has been the expansion of Career Services staff from eight when I started the role to currently 20​-plus staff. This has allowed us to expand career services to more colleges ​and departments on campus — and consequently to more U of A students," Williams said. "It has also enhanced and grown our campus partnerships, leading to an increase in the number of students' career engagements ​such as career services, career fairs and career-related programs, seminars, workshops and career courses. This increase has played a significant part in U of A students having some of the highest post-graduation career outcomes in the nation."

Williams also has great pride and love for the profession of Student Affairs and her colleagues.

"I have absolutely loved working in Student Affairs. It has been my home away from home for over 30 years," Williams said. "I started working in Student Affairs as a student. My philosophy of putting students first is a ​direct result of the rich experiences that I had while working ​both as a student and as a professional. No one takes care of our students the way Student Affairs staff can, and the quality and strength of services and programs it provides to our students is truly amazing. I will sincerely miss the entire community and the casual daily interactions and conversations that I had with so many of the students and staff."

Williams, who has earned three degrees from the U of A — Bachelor of Arts in psychology in 1988, a Master of Education in counseling education in 1991 and her Doctor of Education in adult education in 2006 — is looking forward to taking on a new challenge in her new teaching role.

"I am excited that this new role will allow me to continue to assist students with their academic and career success preparation," Williams said. "One of the overarching goals of this position is to support students in their creation of a professional ePortfolio to demonstrate career readiness. We hope to give special attention to support under-prepared, under-represented and first-generation students."

"I am excited that I will become a member of another amazing team of individuals, the ARSC Student Success team. I am most excited that I will continue to be a member of the U of A community and can continue to work with Career Development Center staff, Student Affairs and others on campus to assist students in achieving academic and career success," Williams said.

Erica Estes, director of employer relations for the College of Arts and Sciences, has agreed to serve as the interim assistant vice chancellor for Career Development beginning Nov. 23. In addition to these added responsibilities, Estes will remain committed to her role in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. The Division of Student Affairs will launch a national search for a leader in the Career Development Center soon.