22 to Watch in Rhode Island in 2022: Crystal Williams

22 to Watch in Rhode Island in 2022: Crystal Williams

The Rhode Island School of Design will have a new President in 2022. 

RISD’s Board of Trustees in December announced the appointment of Crystal Williams as the institution’s 18th president effective April 1.

She is the first Black President to lead RISD. And, she is the fourth RISD president in less than 15 years.

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Currently Boston University’s vice president and associate provost for community and inclusion, Williams was selected after an international search for a leader with the capability and passion to educate artists, designers and scholars for a rapidly changing future, and one with the global vision to guide RISD’s role in helping to create a more just, fair and sustainable society, said the board in a statement.

The statement continued: 

"An accomplished leader, collaborator and community builder, Williams brings more than two decades of higher education experience to RISD, having served at Reed and Bates in addition to her current role at BU. Throughout her career Williams has been an institutional catalyst, helping to envision, define and achieve greater outcomes for students, faculty and staff. As a faculty member, Williams advanced artistic inquiry and engagement and, as a leader, she has focused on ensuring institutions are more effective, mission-aligned and diverse, equitable and inclusive. 
 
In addition to her roles in higher ed, Williams is an award-winning poet and essayist. She has published four collections of poems, and her work is part of MoMA’s Poetry Project, a tour of poems responding to pieces in the museum’s permanent collection."