Hollins University names VP for diversity, equity and inclusion

Hollins University on Wednesday announced it has appointed Nakeshia N. Williams as the new vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion at the private women’s liberal arts university in Roanoke.

Prior to joining Hollins, Williams was an associate professor at North Carolina A&T State University, where she was an associate professor in the educator preparation department in the university’s College of Education. While there, she taught diversity courses to undergraduate and graduate students. She also served as a campus gender and equity faculty leader and an adviser to several student individuals.

Williams holds a doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction with a concentration in urban education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and earned master’s and bachelor’s degrees from South Carolina State University.

“Hollins has endeavored to create a diverse and welcoming community, but we still have work to do to achieve inclusive excellence,” Hollins President Mary Dana Hinton said in a statement. “In her new role as VPDEI, Nakeshia will provide the leadership to ensure we are continuously striving for an improved and more inclusive and equitable campus environment. She will connect with students, faculty and staff to provide programming and create new opportunities for deep, sustained and institution-wide inclusive engagement and experiences. We look forward to her leadership in crafting practices and policies that foster belonging and are reflective of our loftiest ideals as expressed in our mission as an inclusive liberal arts community.”