Ronnie Williams named DEI advisor at Hendrix College

Hendrix College President Karen Petersen announced that Hendrix alumnus and longtime higher education leader Ronnie D. Williams will begin work August 19 as senior DEI strategist and advisor.

Williams retired from the University of Central Arkansas in 2021 having served in various roles, including vice president of student services and chief diversity officer, over his four-decade long career. The campus center there is now named in his honor, as is an endowed scholarship.

“He is charged with developing a strategic plan for diversity, equity, and inclusion that will position Hendrix to be a place of enhanced belonging as we enter our next 150 years,” Petersen said in an announcement to faculty and staff. “In addition, he will serve as a mentor and advisor to students and staff.”

In this part-time position, he will report to Provost Teresa Garrett.

“Coming into this role, it is a top priority for me to support an inclusive supportive environment for all students,” said Garrett, who joined the faculty July 1. “I am thrilled to have Ronnie as a partner in this effort.”

A native of Menifee, Williams graduated from Hendrix College in 1976 and earned a master’s degree from Arkansas State University. His 2022 book, “Markham Street,” chronicles his family’s quest for justice surrounding the death of his brother, Marvin Williams, who died in police custody in 1960.

Active in civic life and community leadership, Williams has chaired the Conway Area Chamber of Commerce and the Arkansas Educational Television Commission; and served on the Arkansas Supreme Court Committee on Professional Conduct and the boards of the Arkansas Community Foundation and the Faulkner County Shelter for Abused and Battered Women.

In 2018, he received the Guy W. Murphy Distinguished Service Award, the highest recognition from the Conway Area Chamber presented yearly to a person who has demonstrated special service to the community.