Joseph M. Williams

Joseph M. Williams, Ph.D., is a full-time Professor at the UNC School of Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His expertise spans academic resilience, multicultural and social justice training practices, protective factors, and behavioral coping strategies for marginalized K-12 students. He has held tenured positions at George Mason University and the University of Virginia.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Counselor Education and Supervision (2011), The University of Iowa
• M.S. in Counseling (2007), Minnesota State University
• B.S. in Psychology (2005), Minnesota State University
• A.S. in Computer Science (2003), Colby Community College
• A.A. in General Studies (2003), Colby Community College

Research Focus: Williams’s work centers on strength-based frameworks to understand marginalized students’ resilience, emphasizing protective factors and processes that enhance academic outcomes for students of color and low-income backgrounds. A secondary focus is multicultural and social justice training for helping professionals, including systemic approaches to mitigating racism-related stress in educational settings.

Professional Contributions: With over a decade of clinical experience in school and mental health counseling, he consults on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, prioritizing stakeholder engagement and systemic change. He currently leads a study on coping strategies among students of color facing racial stress, analyzing impacts on academic motivation and psychological well-being.