D. Clinton Williams


D. Clinton Williams joined Williams College in 2019 as the Director of Pathways for Inclusive Excellence (formerly the Office of Special Academic Programs). In this role, Clinton provides strategic direction and leadership in the development of initiatives and the coordination of programs that assist students as they move in and through the academy.

As director of PIE, Clinton is directly responsible for administration and oversight of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF), the Allison Davis Research Fellowship (ADRF) the Public Humanities Fellowship, the Summer Science Program (SSP), and the Summer Humanities and Social Sciences Program (SHSS). 

He also participates in the national discourse on access to higher education through his work as the campus liaison to the Creating Connections Consortium (C3) Undergraduate Program, the Davis UWC Scholars, the Institute for Recruitment of Teachers, and the Leadership Alliance.

At Williams College, Clinton serves on the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion leadership team and is a member of various standing committees that include: the President’s Administrative Group, the Committee on Admissions and Financial Aid, the Critical Needs Fund, the Committee on Diversity and Community, the Diversity Action Research Team (Chair), the Claiming Williams Steering Committee (co-Chair) and the Projects for Peace selection committee (Chair).

A native of Chicago, Clinton earned a B.A. in history and religion from Oberlin College, a Masters in Theological Studies from Harvard University, and is completing a PhD in American Studies at Harvard University.


Areas of Expertise

Clinton has served as a Teaching Fellow in History and African American Studies at Harvard University has taught history at Phillips Exeter Academy and was a lecturer in African American Studies and History at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro’s Lloyd International Honors College. For his work in the classroom, Clinton received three Certificates of Distinction and Excellence in Teaching from Harvard University. 


 

Awards, Fellowships & Grants

Prior to arriving at Williams College, Clinton developed a $1.2 Million grant program at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro that worked to increase graduate school access for marginalized populations and to assist faculty in implementing intentional mentorship practices. Clinton has also worked as an Assistant Director of Academic Advising at UNC Greensboro and as Director of Retention at Paul Quinn College.

Clinton has also received research funding from the Andrew Mellon Foundation, the University of Chicago Special Collections, the Giles Whiting Foundation, the Fund for Theological Education, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library Research Travel Grant, the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library, and the Charles Warren Center at Harvard University. 


 

  • Co-Director, Summer Humanities and Social Sciences Program (SHSS)
  • Co-Director, Summer Science Program
  • Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF)
  • Allison Davis Research Fellowship (ADRF)
  • Chair, Davis Projects for Peace Selection Committee
  • President’s Administrative Group (PAG)
  • Critical Needs Fund
  • Creating Connections Consortium (C3) Undergraduate Working Group
  • Toward (Greater) Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (TIDE) Grant Program
  • Co-Chair, Claiming Williams Steering Committee
  • Co-Chair, Trans Inclusion Committee
  • Committee on Admission and Financial Aid (CAFA)
  • Chair, Diversity Action Research Team (DART)
  • Co-Chair, Davis Center Building Project Committee
  • Davis Lecture Committee
  • C3 Summit Planning Group

 

Clinton Williams provides strategic direction and leadership in the development of initiatives and the coordination of programs that assist students as they move into and through the academy.

He is responsible for administration and oversight of several undergraduate research fellowship programs and co-directs summer and year-round academic cohort programs.