He grew up in a slowly dying Midwestern city where few of his school classmates ever dreamed of overcoming the challenges of living in an impoverished community. Leon Williams, however, did, and he has dedicated his career to helping others achieve their goals.
Williams took the helm of the Multicultural Center this year after founding director L’Tanya Richmond ’87 departed for a position at Smith College in Massachusetts. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Ohio Northern University, a master’s degree in education from the University of Dayton and is working toward a doctoral degree in social psychology with an emphasis in cultural trauma from Union Institute & University in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Williams brings to Elon more than a decade of experience in higher education, first as director
of the multicultural office at Ohio Northern and then as director of intercultural programs at Buena Vista University in Iowa. And he has no shortage of ambition.
Williams hopes to start additional programs through the Multicultural Center that appeal to all students, regardless of background, including a multicultural student leadership conference, a multicultural service immersion experience, a Kumbaa Festival for performing arts and a cultural public discussion involving churches and community agencies.
Williams says he was drawn to Elon because of its dedication to being the best in all aspects of academics and student life. Those qualities prompted him to relocate to North Carolina last summer along with his wife, Rochelle, and their two children.
Born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio, Williams and his three siblings were among the few children with both parents in the home – what he calls “a great foundation in the mayhem.” He realized at a young age that living a comfortable life required a college education.
He finished 11th in his class in high school with a 2.9 GPA but managed to land a spot on the football team at Ohio Northern University after he tagged along with a cousin during a recruiting trip. Williams played running back for four years at the school of 3,500 students, of which many came from affluent families but barely a handful were African American.
“When I got to college, I realized the economic gap (that was there), that these students and my friends had way more than I could ever imagine,” Williams says. The transition was rough. Williams finished his first semester with a 1.25 GPA.
It wasn’t until his coach, Tom Kaczkowzki, cornered him one day in a study room that Williams realized his own potential.
“Based on the athletic program he came out of, he had no business taking part on the university team,” Kaczkowzki says. “Statistically, he did not have the grades or test scores academically, and he didn’t have any of the athletics standards – his team wasn’t very good, and he didn’t put any numbers up for all-conference or all-state.
“When he came in, he came in with the idea that he was going to be a good football player and the academics would take care of itself. What I wanted to do was right the ship.”
Williams remembers the conversation well. “He gave me every reason known to man why I should fail,” he says. “It was the first time in my life that someone painted a picture of how, statistically, I was not supposed to be there. Spring semester of my freshman year changed my life.”
Williams realized that his career, and perhaps his life purpose, was to help other disadvantaged youths find their identities as students and student-athletes. In his mind, the “Most Improved Player” title is more important than the “Most Valuable Player” tag.
“I run into students … who have the same drive I had but don’t understand the magnitude of the college experience,” he says. “I’m able to have conversations to elevate their minds.”
Relating to prospective students is just one strength Williams brings to the position. He makes an effort to know community leaders and citizens, to measure what has been done and needs to be done to promote a better understanding of different cultures. That’s what one former colleague from Buena Vista remembers about Williams.
“If he’s going to be part of the community, he wants to rub shoulders to understand the people and the needs,” says the Rev. Ken Meisner. “Sometimes communities are blind to what they truly need, and they need an outsider … to get a snapshot and perspective from someone from an urban setting. He was able to open the doors.”
Or, as Meisner puts it: “You folks at Elon are going to be blown over by what he has to offer.”
This story first appeared in the Spring 2009 edition of the @Elon employee newsletter.