Shirley Williams is a Professor of Education whose career ranged from middle school teaching to teacher education and administration. Her dissertation focused on Miles E. Cary’s philosophy and theory of education and its impact on the students and teachers in Hawaii’s McKinley High School.  Dr. Williams was identified as a Dewey scholar by the late Dr. Byron Radebaugh, a professor and scholar in democracy.  Dr. Williams’ research was based on the original works of Cary and his students. 

In 1993 she was invited to the University of Hawai’i at Hilo as a visiting professor, where she spent four years teaching and continuing her research. Some other publications include: “Social Injustice: The Vital Ingredient for a Democratic Curriculum”; and contributions on Thomas Jefferson and Miles Cary to the book  Lives in Education:  A Narrative Of People And Ideas, edited by Glen and Joan Smith.

She received the President’s Medal for Outstanding Leadership from the University of St. Francis, in Joliet Illinois in 2002 and was recognized by the Senate of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 2017 for her career of dedicated service ad highest standards of service.

Dr. Williams is a summa cum laude graduate of the College of St. Francis.  She received a master’s from Illinois State University, and a doctorate from Northern Illinois University. In addition to her teaching, she served as the Dean of Education at the University of St. Francis and Gonzaga University. She retired as Provost from Alvernia University after twelve years.  She currently is partner in Sure Educators Consulting Firm.