Educator, mentor, leader and motivational speaker, Lee Williams III has passionately worked in higher education for the last nineteen years. He is currently the Executive Director of Student Success, Retention, and TRIO-EOC at Texarkana College (TC) in Texarkana, Texas. Since his arrival at TC in 2012, Lee has realigned the admissions processes, transition student orientation to an online platform, implemented, and managed multiple student success grants, and crafted the communication plan for the admissions module. Known for his ability to mobilize people, Williams has assisted hundreds of adults both young and old discover their potential through education. Established in 2016 through a federally funded Department of Education TRIO grant, the Educational Opportunity Center (EOC) at TC has placed over 3,500 students at post-secondary institutions throughout the United States and assisted program participants earn close to 1.5 million in scholarship funds.
Determined to be different, Lee earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Wilberforce University in Wilberforce, OH, the nation’s oldest private historically black college and a Master of Education with a concentration in Leadership from the American College of Education in Indianapolis, IN. Achieving Completion through Innovation Vision and Team Engagement (ACTIVATE) is a program created by Williams to improve completion rates for first-generation students at TC. ACTIVATE participants learn the importance of community engagement, communication, leadership, and networking skills by attending weekly meetings and workshops. Fighting a childhood speech impediment, Lee has had the opportunity to speak in front of thousands throughout the United States promoting the importance of striving for excellence in all aspects of life. The president of the Northeast Texas Alliance of Black School Educators (NETABSE) and immediate past president for the National Educational Opportunity Association (NEOCA), Lee believes in rolling up his sleeves and collaborating with a diverse group of people to advocate and promote education.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Lee is the son of a Baptist minister and retired social security representative who both modeled the importance of integrity, hard work and commitment. Unique in every sense of the word, Williams is the father of one dog, Simba and resides in Texarkana, Texas.
