Charlotte L. Williams

Charlotte Williams Portrait
Professor of Public Health
Director of the Center on Community Philanthropy

(501) 683-5203
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Charlotte Lewellen Williams (DrPH, MPH) is Professor of Public Health and Director of the Center on Community Philanthropy (The Center) at the Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas. The Center is dedicated to expanding the knowledge, tools, and practice of community-spawned and community-driven philanthropy.

As a champion of building communities into places where all people can thrive, Williams develops and manages key projects of The Center that focus on community-based solutions and programs dedicated to eliminating disparities and promoting social justice. She has developed and teaches a course on philanthropy leadership for graduate students at the Clinton School and the Clinton School Online program.

Williams is responsible for launching The Center in its core work areas of Leadership, Scholarship/Research, and Convening. Since 2007, Williams has secured over $5.6 million dollars to support the work of the Clinton School Center on Community Philanthropy. In 2020, Williams created the first academic-based National Racial Healing Certification Program for leaders in the philanthropic and nonprofit sector.

Williams has co-authored a book entitled “Passing the Torch; Planning for the Next Generation of Leaders in Public Service.” The book features an analysis of succession planning across a variety of nonprofit organizations and examines what will motivate the next generation of public servants. 

As a community and civic leader, Williams was featured by Soirée Magazine as a 2024 Woman to Watch for her work in community philanthropy and public service. She holds an adjunct faculty appointment with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.

A business administration graduate from Howard University, Washington, D.C., Williams earned her doctoral degree in Public Health and her master’s degree in public health from the UAMS College of Public Health. In her academic research experience, she has extensively studied and published papers in several peer reviewed journals including Academic Medicine, the Journal of Communication and the Journal of Nonprofit Management and Leadership.